Careful What You Wish For
by ATPD
Summary: Siblings Amelia and Timothy Hartwood just wanted a fresh start. Instead they got sucked into the world of FMA, although they have no clue what that is. Now all they want is to regain what they lost, and so they join the Elric brothers in their quest for the Philosopher's Stone. No pairings! Just the canon pairs that happen throughout the original storyline. CURRENTLY ON HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1: Arrival

**This story is based on Brotherhood/manga, so where I find the manga better than Brotherhood, I will be using the plot from the manga.**

**Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist is the property of Hiromu Arakawa, but the original characters are 100% my own**

* * *

**Chapter one**

The two siblings were walking side by side, saying goodbye to the house that they grew up in. After slowly walking throughout the building that, honestly speaking, had always been waaaay too big for a family of four, the two of them went to the front door. The old lady in the kitchen was smiling sadly at their behalf, but understood that right now, they needed to do this on their own.

"We'll just be taking a trip through the forest, and then we'll be ready to leave," Amelia said to her great aunt. She went outside, hand-in-hand with her little brother, and walked up the path they had helped creating throughout the years.

They walked in silence and stopped at the place where it all began two months ago. They stood in the clearing, both thinking about that night and all of the events that had followed. Amelia squeezed her little brother's hand when she saw the tears building in the corner of his eyes.

"It'll be okay, right Timothy?" she said softly.

"I guess so," he said slowly. He looked down sadly. "I just wish this never happened, that we could just leave it behind. I just want a fresh start"

"**That can be arranged**"

Timothy tried to place where the creepy voice had come from, but as he turned around to look, the forest around him had disappeared. Everything around him was white, except for the tall stone door with the strange drawings that was _floating_ in front of him.

"Where am I? Amelia?" he said, turning around. He was met by a strange _thing_ that seemed to be solid, and yet at the same time, not. It had a mouth, but other than that it was nothing more than a silhouette. "W-what are you?"

Timothy stared at the thing in horror. "**I'm so glad you asked! I'm what you would call the Truth, or maybe God. I am all and I am one, which means I am also you**."

"**I will show you the truth**."

The door behind him opened and Timothy turned around to be met with a giant eye. Black hands snaked around him and began dragging the terrified boy towards the open doors. He started thrashing against them, but there was no point. As the stone doors closed behind him, he heard the _thing _chuckling as it said "**You really should be careful what you wish for.**"

* * *

Edward Elric was walking through the streets of Central, his brother Alphonse clanking beside him. It was a cool evening, which meant that he had already had to stop his little brother from picking up two stray cats and bringing them back to the hotel.

"Brother, I don't understand, how can you say that we can't take them home with us when it's so cold?"

"Al, I've told you before, there's a strict no-pets-allowed policy at the Military hotels. And besides, we don't have the time to take care of it anyways. We can't have cats roaming about expecting to be fed, when we can't even stay in the same place for two weeks."

Alphonse, admitting defeat, hung his head sadly, "I still think it's cruel to let them stay outside," he said dejectedly, but not loud enough for his brother to hear, as it would just start the argument once again. They were nearing the hotel when they heard it. An ear-splitting scream of pain came from around the corner of the building they were walking outside of. They both started running in the direction of the screams which were now accompanied by frantic pleading for help that seemed to come from someone other than the person screaming.

They rounded the corner in a matter of seconds and turned into a blind alley where two kids were sitting in a pool of blood. "Amelia! Help! Someone!" the youngest of them shouted, desperately trying to staunch the flow of blood that poured out from where the girl's legs should have been. Ed and Al gasped as they saw the two of them, and then Ed ran forward, ripping his coat off and began helping to stop the bleeding. The girl was screaming and crying while the boy was watching terrified as the brothers helped. "Please help her, she's my big sister!" the boy pleaded, tears running down his cheeks. Ed looked at the girl's legs, both of them ended at exactly the same spot, about four inches above the knees. The girl was almost out of it, her breathing ragged, and, as one can expect, not responding too well to the blood loss. Ed was mainly focused on keeping the girl conscious, rather than pressing the girl for information.

"Hey, breathe. Just take it easy," Ed was telling the hysterical girl. She had calmed down some, but that was most likely due to blood loss and almost passing out from the pain. He deemed the bandaging sufficient, and Al, being almost telepathically linked to his brother, lifted the girl into his arms, carrying her to the nearest hospital.

The boy was pale and didn't seem to be aware of his surroundings anymore. Ed calmly put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it'll be okay, she'll get help, Al's a fast runner. She'll get medical attention before you know it." The boy just stared up at him, desperately clinging to the hope his words brought him. "What's your name kid?" Ed asked as he helped the stranger to his feet.

"Timothy Hartwood." It was hardly more than a whisper.

"Well, Timothy, I'm Edward Elric." Ed was supporting the small boy, steering him forwards with a hand on each of his shoulders. "Can you tell me what happened here?"

The boy started crying "I-I don't know, I just came here, and Amelia was bleeding _so_ _much_."

"Do you remember what happened before that?"

"White, everything was white. And there was this – _thing_."

Ed stopped walking, eyes wide. It all made sense now – well, not really – where was the transmutation circle? You don't just attempt human transmutation in a dark blind alley in the streets of Central. He turned the boy around, looking him up and down. "What did you pay?" As far as he could tell, there was nothing physically wrong with him.

"W-what do you mean, pay?"

"You saw the gate, no-one just gets a free peek, what did he take?"

"I don't know." Ed was obviously scaring the boy, but he didn't care right now.

"What did you do to open the gate? Where were you when you did it?"

"I don't know, I don't remember."

Ed felt a strong suspicion forming at the back of his mind. "What about where you came from?"

"I don't really remember, just trees."

"What about friends and family?"

"I don't remember. Only Amelia."

So that was it, the bastard had taken the boy's memories as payment. They started walking again. Ed studied him. He couldn't be much older than nine, maybe ten. He had brown hair and a round, freckled face with green eyes that shone of fear and worry. He wore a dark blue jacket and denim trousers. He generally looked like a normal, healthy boy, although short for his age.

Ed kept asking the boy questions, but seeing as how he remembered very little, the answers remained vague and gave little to go on. As a result, the conversation tended to be quite one-sided. They reached the hospital after five minutes, and after asking the lady at the reception desk, found Al sitting in a waiting area, looking much too large considering the small chairs.

"How is she?"

"They think she'll pull through, we got here quickly after it happened, she's in surgery right now."

"Good. Listen, Al, this is Timothy Hartwood."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Edward's younger brother, Alphonse," he said with a gentle voice. The boy was obviously frightened by the seven-foot suit of armour, but he shook Al's hand all the same.

"Listen, Al, we need to talk, will you be okay here for a few minutes, Timothy?" The boy gave a little nod.

Ed and Al walked a little distance down the hall before Ed began to speak. "Al, I think they tried human transmutation."

"What? Brother, how do you know?"

"It's complicated, but there's something not right here, I mean, where is the transmutation circle for starters?"

"But Brother, if they tried human transmutation, what toll did he pay?"

"His memories, Al. if they don't involve his sister, he has no clue as to what has happened throughout his life. Which means we won't get to know much more before she wakes up."

They walked into the waiting room where Timothy was sitting, nervously twiddling his thumbs. The boy looked so lost and scared. Ed felt his big brother instincts kicking in. He sat down beside the small boy. Timothy's lips started moving, but no noise came out. He looked a bit embarrassed, before lifting his head up and looking straight at Ed.

"Thank you, Sirs, for saving Amelia," he said in a weak voice.

"Of course, it's nothing." Al's voice was smiling. "And you don't need to call us 'Sir', it's just Ed and Al."

"Oh, okay. It's just that Amelia has taught me to be polite when I meet new people."

"That's a really good rule, I guess Amelia's a good big sister," Ed said with a smile.

"She's the best. She's always looked after me. Even when we're not at the same school she's been there to stop people from bullying me. She can be really scary when she's angry, you know."

"Yeah, we know a couple of people like that." Ed had a mental picture of a flying wrench.

"Is it just you two, or what about your parents?" Ed was fishing for information.

"It's not just us, but I don't remember what our parents are like. All I know is that Amelia's been like a parent to me ever since I can remember. She'd read to me before going to sleep, and she'd even sing me to sleep if I needed it. She doesn't know any lullabies though, so she'd generally sing Queen songs."

"Queen?" the brothers' faces were two big question marks.

"You don't know them, they're pretty famous? If I had her phone I'd probably be able to show you some songs. You didn't happen to pick up her tote bag, did you?"

"Oh, yeah, I've got it here," Al said, turning away, discreetly fishing the bag out from behind his chest plate. It wasn't a very good idea to open the armour in public for everyone to see. He handed Timothy the bag, and the small boy brought out a small flat thing and held it up in front of him. The Elrics were eyeing the thing with wide eyes.

"it's a special trick, I have to sound like her 'cos it's voice activated you know."

"'Voice activated'?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, you know, it recognises her voice. I'll show you. _Hey_, _Siri_." He said the last two words with a more high-pitched voice.

"Hello. What can I help you with?" a male voice said suddenly. The brothers were awestruck.

"Play Queen on shuffle," Timothy instructed the mysterious object.

The thing confirmed his order, then suddenly it started playing a song that was nothing like what they'd ever heard before.

'_I've paid my dues, time after time. I've done my sentence, but committed no crime.' _the thing sang.

Ed grabbed the object, searching all over it, but couldn't find a blood seal. It also didn't seem likely that the two siblings had managed to bind at least five souls to this one object. Especially five souls including instruments. "How – how does it do that?" Ed asked dumbstruck.

"I don't know, it's just technology, you know?" Timothy was looking uncertainly up at them.

They didn't get to clearing up the matter, however, because right then the doctor appeared, and Timothy hastily clicked something on the object and it stopped singing.

"You the ones that brought in the young girl?"

"Yes, Sir. She's my big sister. How is she doing?"

"She'll be okay. She's out of surgery and resting. Apart from the missing limbs and the blood loss, she appears to have no further injuries."

"Can I go see her, Sir?"

"You may, however, there's a thing we'd like to know first."

"Okay, Sir."

"What's the patient's name?"

"Oh, it's Amelia, Amelia Hartwood."

"How old is she?"

"Sixteen, Sir."

"Do any of you know what happened?"

"I'm sorry, that's classified," Ed shot in.

The doctor looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

Ed took out his pocket watch and showed it to the doctor. "Edward Elric, State Alchemist. This is a part of an ongoing investigation, that's all you need to know."

"Well, okay, Sir." The doctor was quite taken aback at the revelation. "The patient's in room 308."

"Thank you."

The doctor nodded and left them to find their way on their own.

They walked into the room. Amelia was lying in a hospital bed, her face pale. It clashed violently with her red-brown hair and freckles. It was very easy to see that she and Timothy were related.

Timothy immediately ran over to her side and sat down beside her bed, holding her left hand in his, tears trailing down his cheeks.

Al looked at the boy, knowing his pain very well. He had felt the same way when he'd been watching over the unconscious Ed the first hours after their transmutation had failed.

He went over to the young boy, putting a hand on his shoulder in order to tell him that at least he wasn't alone.

Timothy's stomach grumbled, and Ed smiled sadly. "Listen Timothy, how about I go and grab you some dinner?"

"But I don't have any money."

"Don't worry about it, I've got plenty."

"But that wouldn't be right, you shouldn't have to buy me dinner, maybe Amelia has a wallet in her bag…"

Ed stood beside him and leant down to face him, putting his hand on Timothy's free shoulder. "Listen, kid, I insist. You just sit here and look after your big sister, alright?"

Timothy looked into those strong golden eyes and nodded. "Thanks, Ed."

"No problem."

* * *

Timothy was looking at his big sister, scared about what was going to happen. He didn't know where they were, or what had happened. He was stuck in a world where everything looked funny, sort of simplified. He would initially have passed all of this off as a dream, except for the fact that he'd never dreamt anything with such a consistent timeline. Also, he wasn't _that_ creative. That was Amelia's department. And here he was, stuck in a hospital with his big sister unconscious while being looked after by a couple of strangers. He'd just gone along with what the Elric brothers suggested. He couldn't help but trusting them, not after looking into Ed's eyes. They said that he wanted to help, and so he followed his gut feeling. Alphonse seemed like a gentle soul, and they were good people, he was sure of that. His only problem was that Ed seemed to be keeping something from him, some explanation as to what had happened. He would have to ask him later. He would ask him after Amelia had woken up, maybe she would know something as well. There was one thing that completely baffled him, for what on earth was a _State_ _Alchemist_?

"Hey, Al, how old are you and Ed?" Timothy asked suddenly.

"I'm fourteen, and Brother's fifteen. And you, Timothy, how old are you?"

"Ten." Timothy was silent for a little while. "Alphonse?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for bringing Amelia here. If it wasn't for you and Ed, she'd probably be dead right now. I don't know what I would do if that happened, so thank you so much for saving her."

"Of course, I'm just glad we got there in time."

"Do you think she will wake up soon?"

"Probably sometime tomorrow."

"Oh, okay."

Timothy had so many questions he wanted to ask, but he was afraid that they'd were things he had no business in asking. Like how Alphonse sounded like he was the same age as him, and how he fit inside that seven-foot suit of armour. _Why_ was he wearing that armour in the first place? Why did a fifteen-year-old act so calmly to finding a girl suddenly missing two of her limbs?

Timothy was scared. He just wanted Amelia to wake up. Amelia always knew how to make things better, make things safer.

Ed came back into the hospital room, carrying a chicken dish and a bottle of orange juice. He handed them to the boy, sadly noticing how scared and _small_ the boy was looking. The kid wasn't more than three foot eleven, but he somehow seemed even smaller in the way he was looking so _helpless_. Ed dragged a chair over and sat beside him, happily noticing that the boy was at least regaining some colour in his cheeks from the food.

There was something not quite right about all of this, and Ed wasn't going to leave these kids' side before he found out what had happened. They had obviously opened the Gate, and paid the toll, but that was it. They hadn't created the same dark creature that Ed and Al had, and there was no sign of a transmutation circle. It didn't make any sense. These two siblings were a mystery.

"Ed?" Timothy asked after finishing his meal.

"Yes?"

"What did you mean when you said you were a 'State Alchemist'? Alchemy doesn't exist anymore, it's all been replaced by chemistry and physics, or so Amelia says."

Ed was confused, but he guessed that the kid just didn't remember. "Alchemy is still around, heck, I use it every day. Both me and Alphonse are alchemists. I work for the Military as a State Alchemist."

"But the Military doesn't employ alchemists, does it? Or is it some sort of big secret?"

"Uhm, no. Quite the contrary actually. You've never heard of it before, not even from your sister?"

"No. All I know is that alchemy was the beginning of modern chemistry or something, although it was mainly focused around making gold from lead or creating the Philosopher's Stone. Amelia told me when she was in the middle of her Harry Potter phase a year ago."

Ed didn't know what to make of this, creating gold was strictly illegal and not many knew about the Philosopher's Stone, and here this ten year old kid was talking about it like it was common knowledge? And what did he mean by this 'Harry Potter phase'? None of this made any sense. Ed really didn't know what to say to the boy, so instead he picked up on something from before.

"Timothy, what was that singing thing you showed us earlier?"

"Oh, that was Amelia's phone."

"What?"

"She got it a few months ago, it's pretty new."

"That's not like any phone we've ever seen."

"Huh, that's odd, it's been around for at least a year."

"And what year was it released?" Ed said with a growing pit of dread in his stomach.

"2018, why?»

"Timothy, it's 1914."

"What?! No! How?!" The little kid stood up, shaking in panic and refusal. "You're lying, that can't be true!"

"Hey, listen, I'm having a hard time believing that you're from the future, but how exactly did you get here?" Ed said with his hands raised, trying to calm the boy down.

"I just remember saying that I wanted a fresh start, and that creepy _thing_ said "that can be arranged" and all of a sudden everything was white and black hands grabbed me and pulled me into this big eye. And then it said that it would show me the truth and to be careful what you wish for."

Ed could see it all happening. It made more sense now. Somehow Truth had decided to grant this boy's wish and dragged him and his sister through hell. No, Truth was never fair. It had chosen to steal this kid's memories and Amelia's legs as payment for a truth they never even asked for. Ed was furious. At least him and Al had willingly tried to bring their mother back and paid the price for their arrogance, but these two? They were innocent.

Timothy started trembling in fear at the memory. Ed went over to a shelf and picked up a blanket. He draped it over the boy's shoulders, and Timothy accepted it with a weak "thanks" and held it tightly around himself. Ed helped him back into his chair, and they sat there in silence.

"What are we going to do? Where will we go? We have no money, no place to live, I don't even know where we are!" Timothy was suddenly saying. He was beginning to hyperventilate as the truth of their predicament sank in. Ed leant down before him, gripping his shoulders and staring him straight in the eyes.

"Take it easy, just breathe slowly. Everything will be okay. I'll start with the easiest question first: you're in Central. As for the rest of them, we'll find a solution, we won't just leave you two to find this out all on your own. So for now, just focus on breathing, okay?"

"O-okay, thank you, but where is Central?"

"Amestris?"

"Never heard of it."

"Where are you from, then?"

"I don't remember."

More silence.

* * *

Amelia was hurting. Her legs _hurt_. Why did they hurt? She opened her eyes. She was in a white room; the light was too bright. She squinted her eyes, grunting. She could just make out three people who were in the same room. She gradually opened her eyes and were met by the same intense gold ones she had seen the night before. "Good morning," the boy said.

"Mmm-morning." She yawned. She stretched and put down her arms, her left hand landing on her little brother's head. He was sleeping with his head on his crossed arms, his upper body laying on her bed. She ruffled his hair. He mumbled, but slept on all the same.

"W-what happened?" She asked after scrutinising her surroundings. And then yesterday's events came back to her. "Crap!" She swallowed drily, desperately feeling for her legs, but quickly reaching the stumps above where her knees once were situated. "No-n-n-n-no! Please God, no!" She was breathing heavily, desperately wishing this was a nightmare, but she knew it wasn't, she never dreamt like this. Timothy woke up and quickly squealed and threw himself around her neck. This apparently had some sort of soothing effect on her, and she quickly put her arms around her little brother. "Timothy! Are you okay?" She said, gently stroking his back.

"Yes, but what about you? Your legs are gone!"

"Well, no shit, Sherlock."

This had the effect she wished for, and the little boy made small sniffing noises, obviously appreciating the joke.

"Honestly, I'm far from okay, my legs are killing me, but right now, so's my curiosity. First of all, why are you looking all Pokémon-y?"

"I don't know, but Amelia, they say it's 1914 and that that thing sent us here through some 'Gate', please tell me you remember something about it. I just wanna go home, but I don't really remember what home's like anymore and I'm scared!"

"Hey, slow down! What do you mean 1914? It's 2019!"

"That's what I keep saying but apparently it is 1914, they even found a newspaper to prove it!"

"But people in 1914 didn't look like a Japanese cartoon! Something's obviously wrong here!"

She looked up at the golden-eyed boy, he was eyeing them with something between amusement and utter confusion.

"I'm sorry, Sirs, thank you for saving my life and looking after my little brother." She said, looking between the two of them.

"Please just call us Edward and Alphonse. I'm Ed and he's my little brother Al." Ed answered, pointing his right thumb at the suit of armour.

"Pleased to meet you. I'd offer you a handshake but it's a bit difficult under the circumstances," she said, gesturing her head towards the little boy that was still cradling his arms around her neck. He had obviously been worried sick.

Ed just smiled and nodded. Al gave a gentle metallic chuckle. Amelia could tell that Ed had many questions, and so did she, so maybe they would be able to help each other out. "Do any of you know what's going on?"

"We were hoping you could tell us. We already know from Timothy that you and him were walking through the forest outside your home, when Timothy uttered a wish about being able to get a fresh start, and suddenly he met the being I know as Truth. I would guess you met it too?"

"You mean the white thing that was surrounded by black particles that took my legs as a 'toll' for filling my head with science I had no interest in knowing?"

"That pretty much sums him up."

"Oh, God, I was hoping that was a nightmare."

"But that still doesn't explain how you ended up here though."

"All I know is that it said it was giving me a second chance, and suddenly I was pulled through the other side of these stone doors and next thing I knew I woke up here with my legs missing and there was blood everywhere. But what was that _thing_? I have never heard of it before and I refuse to accept it as God, even though it said it was. Why did it even show up? But most importantly, if it demands a toll, what did it take from Timothy? He looks fine?"

Ed looked at her sadly "we've talked to your brother, and we believe it took most of his memories. If they didn't involve you, he doesn't remember a thing. He has no idea about how he even feels about your parents or what his friends look like. Truth has basically erased more than fifty per cent of your brother's life."

"What?!" Amelia looked down at the little boy in her arms, and she felt him shaking. He was crying silently, clinging to her chest. "How – how is that even possible? How could that _bastard_ even do that? What right does it have to do something like that to my little brother?"

"We alchemists live by a rule known as "equivalent exchange". It revolves around the principle that to gain, you need to give up something of equal value. I can only guess, but it would seem that it deemed your limbs sufficient payment in order to gain the knowledge the Gate contains and a new life on this world. Truth seems to take some sort of sick pleasure in taking ironic payment. Your brother wished for a new start, and so he forgot a large part of his former life, and you, what did you wish for?"

"I only want to take care of my little brother."

"And so it took away your ability to do so on your own. The Truth is a cruel sadistic bastard, I know all about it."

"What do you mean? And what do you mean by ´we alchemists´? Alchemy hasn't been popular for several centuries."

"Well, then there's that. You both seem to think that alchemy's a lost science, something that evolved into chemistry and physics, but I have a hard time believing that people will give up on alchemy in such a short time. Where did you say you were from?"

"We're from a little place outside of London called Upper Creston, not many have heard of it."

"And where's London?"

"What do you mean? London's the capital of England."

"Never heard of them."

"So where are we, you are speaking English after all?"

"Amestris. And we've never heard of this English, although you are speaking fluent Amestrian."

"Well, I've never heard of _that_, and I've been playing way too many levels of flag quizzes to have missed out on that one." Amelia was thinking, using every single one of her ´_little grey cells_´ as Poirot so eloquently puts it. "The only answer I can come up with that has at least a tiny bit of credence, would be that we haven't just travelled back in time, we're in a different dimension altogether. Although, this may make sense to me only because of all the hours of Doctor Who I've been watching."

"A different dimension? I don't know, doesn't that sound like a bit of a stretch?"

"Depends, show me some alchemy, and I'll give you an answer." Amelia was expecting him to say that they would need some hours to gather up equipment, and basically being brought a chemistry set. She did **not **expect Ed to just nod, clap his hands and put them to the floor. She was speechless when blue lightning started crackling around him and he made a chair from the floor and sat down on it like he hadn't just broken every single concept Amelia had of physics and their capabilities. "Wow. I think you just beat Harry Potter," Amelia said with wide eyes.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Trust me, that's a big complement from her," Timothy said, eyes equally big to his sister's.

"How on earth did you do that?" Amelia asked awestruck.

"It's just science. I analysed the floor's original composition, deconstructed the required mass and reconstructed it as something else, in this case a chair."

"That's not science, that's science fiction sprinkled with magic!"

"It's not, at least not here." He seemed a bit affronted at the mention of the word 'magic'.

"What Brother means to say is that we harness the energy created by the earth's tectonic movements and utilise it in order to make transmutations that follow the three steps of alchemic reactions: analysis, deconstruction and reconstruction." It was the first time that Alphonse had spoken since she woke up, and she was quite startled by the noise.

"And as you can see by the floor, I had to use the floor's original components in order to make this chair, as you cannot create something out of nothing, which is all in accordance with the law of conservation of mass." Ed supplied.

Timothy was looking from one to the other, quite lost it would seem. Amelia could almost sort of understand what they were talking about, although the involved ´principles´ were completely lost to her. It kind of made sense, she guessed, but she was still pretty sure this was science fiction, no matter how fancy the terminology was.

Ed clapped his hands again, and the chair once again re-joined the floor, leaving no trace of the transmutation. "Well, that's it. Not my world. Not even close. Nope. Nuh-huh. Njet. Nein. Non. Not in a million years." Amelia said.

Ed just looked at her with a raised eyebrow and an otherwise smug look on his face.

Amelia just stared at him and the place where the chair had just been. She was contemplating the things that had just been said and thought about what Ed had spoken about earlier. "You spoke as though you have met this 'Truth' before, how did that happen?"

Ed's face darkened and Amelia was afraid she had said something she shouldn't have. Then Ed heaved a great sigh "You need to understand something. There's this taboo among all alchemists. It's called human transmutation. There has never been a recorded case of successfully bringing a person back to life. We thought that we could do it if we just had the right ingredients, but we never really contemplated the value of the human soul."

Amelia suddenly felt a lump form in the pit of her stomach. "Who was it that you tried to bring back to life?" she said quietly.

"Our Mom. She died when Ed was five and I was four." Al said.

"I'm sorry. What about your father?"

"That bastard left us a couple of years before that. He left us to deal with Mom's death all on our own. That was when the idea first came to me. I thought everything would be all right if we could just bring her back, and so we continued to study alchemy. We also found ourselves a teacher. Four years ago we deemed our knowledge sufficient, we had thought out every equation, every detail, but we never did pay much attention to the payment for the soul. And then the transmutation failed. I lost my leg and Al lost his entire body. I was able to exchange my arm for Al's soul, and I bound it to that suit of armour." At that moment Alphonse opened his chest plate to reveal that there was nothing inside. Nothing but some sort of red sigil. Timothy looked cautiously up at the drawing. "Th-that's _blood_?" he said in a whimper.

"Yes, Brother drew that with his own blood, it is the only thing that binds my existence to this earth," Alphonse said gravely.

"But how do you have limbs, Ed?" Amelia asked confused.

"Like this," Ed said simply, removing his right glove and rolling up his sleeve in order to show an arm made entirely out of metal. "I got my automail shortly after and joined the Military as a State Alchemist at the age of twelve in order to get access to the resources I needed to find a way to get Al's body back. It's my fault that it happened, and so it is my job to make things right, no matter how much time it takes, I will return Al to his body."

"Brother, I keep telling you, I was always with you, I wanted to see Mom's smile again just as much as you did, so stop blaming yourself. It's not just your job to make things right. It's mine as well and we'll get there someday, and when that day comes, we'll have both our bodies back to normal."

"Al, I – ", but Ed never got any further than that before Timothy, surprising every one of the room's occupants, slid off the side of the bed and quickly shuffled over to Ed and kicked him in his right shin. It wasn't a particularly hard kick, but it snapped Ed out of his apology.

"You're stupid," the boy said simply.

"What?" Ed said dumbstruck.

"You seem so smart with all your alchemic thingies and big words and then you start blaming yourself for something that two kids that were half my age would never even know about. You're obviously a great older brother, so you should just start believing in that. Otherwise you're just being stupid, and I will have to kick you again." The little boy was looking half angry, half exasperated.

"I – uh…"

"You know, Brother, he's right," Al said.

"Good. Now that that's settled, how is your arm metal? I've never seen anything like it before. It's kind of cool actually."

"It's automail, you don't have it where you're from?" Ed said, distracted by the sudden change of topic.

"No, we haven't seen anything like it, can I have a look?" Amelia said fascinated, still smiling at Timothy's actions.

"Uh, sure." He walked over to the bed holding his arm out for Amelia to look.

"How does it work? Can you feel it if someone hits you for instance?" Amelia said, intrigued by this strange metal contraption.

"It's connected to my nerves and picks up the signals sent from my brain. It can only pick up signals from me, not vice versa, so no, it won't hurt me."

"That is honestly one of the coolest things I have ever seen." Amelia said, smiling in awe. After a few seconds she withdrew her eyes from the shiny metal. She stared down into her lap, finally taking in the graveness of her situation. Her legs were really gone. "Can I ask you how much of your leg you lost?" she said in a much lower tone of voice. He was the only one in the room who probably understood what she was going through.

"About as much as you, actually."

"Do you know why it decided to take both of them?"

"I can only give you a theory. I think that maybe it took one as payment for bringing you here, and the other for letting you see the Truth."

"I didn't want this. I just wanna go home to Auntie Gwendolyn. She must be worried sick right now. What do we do now? We can't just leave our old life behind, no matter how refreshing that might seem at the moment."

"Can I ask what happened?"

"You know how you called your father a bastard? Well ours is as well. Two months ago our father murdered his assistant in cold blood after getting her pregnant. When our mother found out, he murdered her too. When we stumbled upon a piece of incriminating evidence, he kidnapped us and brought us to a derelict factory building. We managed to escape, although he shot me in the arm in the process." Amelia turned her left arm around in order to show the scar at the back of her arm just above the elbow. "We were about to leave our home for the last time when we were brought here instead."

"I'm sorry about your mother."

"There's no need. She was the charming sort of woman that was more interested in cheating on her _lover _instead of raising her two children." She said this in a low mutter in order for Timothy not to hear. Timothy didn't need to know what a disrespectful slut their mother really was, at least not yet. She would tell him, one day, but she wouldn't do so right now, not with everything else going on. She wasn't sure how much he remembered anymore, and so she would rather give him the impression that he was at least, if not _loved_, then prioritised. Amelia was scared for her brother, wondering just how much he had lost, how much of himself that would be changed. At least he _seemed_ like the same sweet little boy that he ever was. She was just going to have to try to find out how much of him was lost, without treating him any different. "I was mostly raised by literature and our great aunt Gwendolyn. She is the greatest lady in the world. She's absolutely terrific. So yeah, both me and Timothy were neglected throughout our childhood, but at least we had her you know? And we had each other, which has been enough."

"I know the feeling, seems like you and Timothy have been looking out for each other in a pretty similar way to me and Al."

"Yeah, but we have to look after our little brothers, don't we? It's sort of in our job description. But it's worth it, and Timothy's a really good kid, I'm quite proud of him," Amelia said with a smile, before grimacing at a rather sharp flash of pain from her legs.

Ed nodded and turned around to see that Timothy and Alphonse were having their own conversation. Apparently they were comparing puppies to kittens. Amelia smiled at them, they seemed to get along already. At least Timothy seemed to be coping admirably with the situation. Amelia watched her little brother and came to a decision. She would do anything in order to look after her brother. "Hey, Ed?"

"Yes?"

"Would it be alright if we came along with you in order to find a way to retrieve what we lost and maybe find a way back home? I can't look after my little brother on my own anymore, not like this. I need help. I don't want Timothy to feel burdened by me. I know I'm asking a lot, but I just want to be there for him, you know?"

"This isn't a risk-free journey. It's dangerous and bloody. You might get hurt along the way."

"I kind of guessed that. I mean, you enlisted in the _Military_ in order to get what you needed in order to even start this journey. It's not that I'm particularly drawn to danger, but I want the best outcome for Timothy, and that's not him having half his memory gone and a crippled big sister with no money. So please."

Timothy and Al were listening as well. Ed seemed to contemplate this for a long time, before giving a resigned sigh. "Fine, but no dying, okay?"

"I swear upon my honour as a big sister that I will do my _damnedest_ not to die."

"I swear too," Timothy said, right hand on his chest, left hand in the air.

"Good."

"Thank you, both of you," Amelia said with a grateful smile. "So, do you have any ideas revolving around how to get our old bodies back?"

"We have been using leads that we've gained through the Military in regard to the Philosopher's Stone. We've been searching for the last three years, but we believe that if we find it, we will be able to use it to regain what we lost," Ed said.

"The Philosopher's Stone? As in red stone able to grant immortality and create gold?" Amelia asked surprised.

"Yes, it's a powerful alchemical substance that we hope will be enough to bypass the laws of equivalent exchange," Al supplied.

"Do you have any fresh leads?"

"We've heard rumours about this fake priest creating miracles in Liore. We're heading there in six days, I guess you'll be tagging along?" Ed asked.

"Uh-huh. How do we get there?"

"It's about a three-days' ride by train from here."

"_Three_ days?" Timothy asked utterly shocked. "I thought three _hours_ was a long time." He was looking uncertainly at Amelia.

Amelia shrugged. "Well, I guess we'll get to know each other better then."

* * *

_Five days later_

Maes Hughes was walking through the hallways at Central HQ, heading in the direction of Colonel Roy Mustang's temporary office. He found the door in question and flung it open. "Roy! How goes? Heard you let them put you in charge of catching the Freezer, Huh? One hell of a nasty assignment, but hey, could be your way to earn that promotion to Central." He suddenly noticed the room's two new occupants. "Oh, say! Looks like my timing was perfect! You two are the Elric brothers, right?" he leapt forwards, shaking both of the large suit of armour's hands. "Wow, it's an honour to finally meet the youngest State Alchemist ever. You're a real legend around here. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, it's a pleasure."

The suit of armour bowed its upper body, seeming to shrink a bit. "Uhm, you want Edward, I'm actually his younger brother Alphonse."

"WHAT?! You're the Fullmetal Alchemist? Sorry, I had no idea you'd be so – ", but he stopped at the glowering look that promised him ever-lasting damnation in a fiery pit of flame loving piranhas.

"Hughes!" Roy said, standing in front of his desk.

He straightened up "Yeah?"

"What are you doing here – go home."

"Actually, I'm here on official business." He turned towards the couch again with a warm smile. "You, Elrics, I understand that you two don't have a place to stay – which means you'll have to come with me." He looked at them strictly and fished out from his pocket the cutest little picture ever of the two most important girls in the whole world. For some reason they seemed to invoke a sort of fearful reaction from the two boys, but he paid them no heed. Hughes turned all soft and squeaky while smiling over the top of the picture. "My wife, Gracia and my daughter, Elicia, we'd love to have you."

Ed was looking at him, sweat drops running down his face in utmost fear. "Uhm – you see, uh we have this friend and we're picking her up from the hospital today and she and her brother doesn't have a place to stay, and we don't want to impose…"

Hughes just waved his hand quickly in order to stop him. "No problem, we have enough space for four guests. The more the merrier, right? We can even drive over to the hospital and pick them up, what do you say?"

"But you see, she's in a wheelchair…" Ed began once again.

"No worries, we'll just put the wheelchair in the trunk and you and you brother will just have to squeeze in tight in the back seat and we'll manage. I'm sure they'll appreciate it after a week of hospital food, Gracia's cooking is absolutely delicious. Now come on, off we go!"

* * *

Ed was sitting in the front seat next to Hughes while Al was taking up about two-thirds of the back seat. Ed was pretty uncomfortable, the man was basically a stranger and he was talking non-stop about his family, not letting him say much more than the occasional "uh-huh".

"You really should have seen her, barely two years old and already eating her birthday cake like she was royalty. Of course, she has always been my little princess, but it was so _cute_ when she sat there with a bit of cream on her nose, and you know I just _had_ to take a picture. I'll show it to you later when we get home, just remind me."

_As if._

"So what about this girl we're picking up? Is she someone special?" Hughes asked with a teasing glint in his eye.

"What? No!"

"I just think it's sweet how you've agreed to pick her up from the hospital…"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Lieutenant Colonel. She's just someone we met a week ago. She was in an accident and lost her legs and her little brother's got amnesia. They've lost their parents and they're on their own. We kind of know what they're going through, so we decided to help them, that's all."

"Oh, well that is very nice of you boys, I'm sure they appreciate your help. So, what kind of accident are we talking about?"

"Uhm, it was a hit and run, her little brother was almost run over by a car and she jumped out in front of it, pushing her brother away. He hit his head which is the cause of the amnesia," Ed lied quickly while Al was backing him up with "We got there right after it happened, and we helped them get to the hospital."

"Well, here we are, let's go find them, shall we?" Hughes said while parking the car.

Amelia was sitting her wheelchair in front of the reception desk, signing some papers. Timothy was standing beside her looking nervously around but lit up when he saw Ed and Al. He gave them a small wave and the three of them headed in the direction of the two Hartwoods.

"Hi, I'm Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, it's a pleasure to meet you two."

"Amelia Hartwood," Amelia said with a slightly confused smile, taking in the uniformed man and his overly generous attitude while shaking his hand.

"Timothy Hartwood."

"And before I forget, this is my lovely wife and daughter! Aren't they just wonderful! They are my pride and joy. This here is a picture with Mommy's hat on, and here's Elicia's first meeting with a duck, and this here is…" and so he went on.

Amelia tugged at Ed's sleeve eyeing Hughes and his pictures sceptically. Ed leant down and she whispered _"Uhm, Ed. Why is he here?"_

"…But of course, you'll all get to meet them shortly and I can show you more pictures from our albums! We'll have so much fun!"

_"Apparently we're staying with him tonight."_ Ed whispered back. The girl was looking horrified at the very thought of it.

_"Do we have to?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ "Why?"_

_ "Mustang threatened to court-martial me otherwise."_

_ "Isn't that abuse of power?"_

_ "He's still my superior officer."_

_ "Crap."_

* * *

The evening was actually very pleasant except for the whole 'let's look at some albums!'-thing. Amelia and Timothy seemed to enjoy themselves as well. They really only had one guest room, so the boys were put in one room, while Amelia was put in Elicia's room on the ground floor. Hughes was apologising about the fact that they only had two beds in the guest room. This of course, wasn't actually an issue, but Hughes wasn't to know that. Two spare mattresses were put into each of the rooms, and so everyone had a bed for the night. Timothy fell asleep easily, and Ed was asleep by twelve o'clock. He was, however, roughly pulled back from the clutches of sleep by the sound of screams and crying coming from the ground floor at about three AM.

The Elrics ran downstairs at almost the same time as the Gracia and Hughes. Elicia was shrieking her head off, obviously terrified, although there were other cries coming from the room as well. The two brothers were the first to open the door and ran in along with Gracia, who was quick to pick up her daughter and start soothing her, while the Elrics where sitting in front of Amelia who was clawing at the stumps of her legs moaning and crying with pain.

"It's phantom limb pain, seems like a quite severe attack," Ed said quickly, looking at Amelia and saw that she had been tearing at her bandages enough for the ones on her right foot to have turned red. Ed took her wrists to keep her from ruining the bandaging any further. "Hey, listen, Amelia, it's okay, I know it hurts, but you'll ruin the stitches if you're not careful.

"It _hurts_, but they're not even there to hurt anymore," Amelia moaned.

"I know, I know. Right now you just need to breathe. It will get better, so just breathe." Ed turned towards Hughes who was looking quite lost in the doorway, "Hughes, we need to rebandage her leg, and also, do you have any painkillers?" Hughes walked swiftly from the room. Ed gently lifted Amelia up from the mattress and carried her to the bathroom where it would be easier to assess the damage because of the lighting. Also, it gave Elicia an opportunity to go back to her room and sleep on once she had calmed down and the blood-stained mattress had been removed.

Timothy had woken up to find the room deserted while crying could be heard from downstairs. He stood at the top of the stairs to watch Ed carrying a bleeding Amelia into the bathroom. Timothy was standing there wide-eyed, until he reached a decision as to what he would do. Instead of walking directly to the bathroom, he took a detour to Elicia's bedroom and rooted through his big sister's tote bag. He once again did the Siri-trick, and before he knew it, _Bohemian_ _Rhapsody_ was playing. He held the phone out in front of him, and walked into the bathroom where Amelia was propped up against the bathtub having her right leg rebandaged. She had tears streaking down her cheeks, but she still reacted instinctively to the familiar sound of her favourite band. He stood there just holding the phone and turning the volume up, smiling reassuringly at his sister. Amelia seemed to appreciate the gesture and she visibly calmed at the sound of the music she so dearly loved. Instead of twitching and grimacing, she started gently tapping the rhythm of piano on the bathroom tiles, obviously trying to focus on the music instead of the pain.

Hughes was staring dumbstruck at the phone, but whether that was caused by the music itself or the fact that it was coming from the little gadget Timothy was holding in his hands as though it was the most natural thing in the world, he couldn't say. Ed nudged him in the shoulder, trying to get him to return to the bandaging he had frozen in the middle of, muttering a hasty "I'll explain it later."

Then came the opera section. Amelia started waving her fingers in the air according to how the music went, gently singing along. Ed and Hughes looked slightly scared at her, but then Ed shrugged, it was obviously helping her managing the pain.

"Amelia's been saying for the past two years that 'Queen is flowing through her veins' so I thought I'd give it a shot," Timothy said trying to explain his sister's odd change in behaviour. "She's got this thing about singing along to that opera section as long as she's not out in the general public."

"And also, I'm sort of overdoing it right now because it helps distracting my brain from the pain – _mamma mia, mamma mia, mamma mia let me go! Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me-e-e, for me-e-e, for meeeeeeeeee!_" Amelia commented/sang before banging her head from side to side along to the rhythm of the guitar.

"That's my sister for you."

"Uh-huh, well that's the bandaging done at least," Hughes said before sanding up and turning towards the sink in order to wash his hands. "And Elrics, I think you owe me an explanation in the morning. Now the only question that remains is what do we do about sleeping arrangements? We can't have Miss Hartwood sleeping on a blood-stained mattress. Also, I think you gave Elicia quite the fright, not that I'm blaming you of course, but I don't think it would be a good idea for the two of you to share the same room anymore."

"That's okay, Mr. Hughes, I won't be getting any more sleep tonight anyway. Thank you for all your help, and I'm so sorry about scaring your daughter. And for ruining the mattress. And for waking everybody up in the middle of the night in general." Amelia was still hurting quite a lot, but it was more manageable, especially now that she wasn't partially asleep. She was actually a bit embarrassed to be honest, and it didn't exactly help that that her phone was playing _I'm Going Slightly Mad_.

"Well, it's all okay Miss, is there anything more I can do to help?"

"I need someone to help me get into my wheelchair. And I need to wash my hands. Other than that I'm all set."

"I'll help her, I'm not tired either," Alphonse said from behind Timothy.

"Well, thank you Alphonse, I guess it's good night then," Hughes said with a wave to them all.

"Good night, Mr. Hughes," Amelia said.

* * *

Alphonse was kind of glad not to spend the night alone, although this wasn't exactly the kind of circumstances he'd been most happy about. Timothy had been sent upstairs by Amelia after a round of sincere thanks. That left Ed cleaning up the rest of the blood from the floor and Alphonse to carefully lift Amelia up by her armpits in order to get her high enough into the air in order to reach the sink and wash her hands. Ed went and got the wheelchair, and Gracia came back with a clean nightgown for Amelia, before she too went back to sleep. They had taken all of this very calmly, and they were obviously great people. Al could already tell that these people would be their friends for a long time. He lifted Amelia into the wheelchair after she had changed into the clean nightgown, and he wheeled her into the living room.

"Ed, you should probably get some more sleep, you have a killer to catch after all," Amelia said.

"I'm not really tired anymore."

"Yes you are, I can tell."

"Are you both sure you'll be alright?" Apparently his big brother already felt responsible for their charges/companions.

"Yes we are, go get some sleep, I'll be alright, and if I need more help, we'll come get you, okay?" Amelia said stubbornly.

"Fine, I'll see you in a few hours."

"Goodnight, Ed. And oh! Would you mind checking that Timothy's covered himself with his blanket? He's been sleeping rather badly for the last two months and kicks it off himself after a short time."

"Yeah, I'll see to that," his expression was slightly softer than it had been before.

"Thank you, and thank you for all your help tonight."

"No problem," he said with a wave and a yawn.

* * *

Amelia and Timothy very much enjoyed the next day with Gracia and Elicia. Amelia was drawing and reading to Elicia, while Gracia taught Timothy to bake the best chocolate cake Amelia had ever tasted. It was quite late that the phone started ringing, and Gracia called to tell them that Alphonse wanted a word.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Al. What is it? Why aren't you guys back yet?"

"Uh, well, you see, Brother's in the hospital right now."

"He's what?!"

"It's not serious, it's just that the killer we were chasing managed to stab him in the shoulder with this spike, and they want to keep him in for observation."

"We'll come see you tomorrow then."

"You don't have to if you're not feeling well, we just thought we ought to tell you so you don't worry."

"Well, thank you for letting us know, but it's no trouble, I'm feeling much better today."

"Okay, then I guess we'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes, see you tomorrow, and tell Ed to take care."

"I will, well, bye."

"Goodbye, Alphonse."

* * *

The next day saw the Hartwoods once again back at a hospital, although Amelia was glad that it wasn't her they were here for. They felt slightly out of place with all the soldiers milling about, so they were very happy when they found the room Ed was staying at. They knocked twice, and Amelia rolled in through the doors followed closely by Timothy.

"Hey guys, how are you doing?" Amelia said, rolling her wheelchair over to Ed's bed. She was pleased to see that he seemed to be doing alright, except for the bandage around his shoulder, and the fact that he was wearing light blue-green hospital clothes.

"It's not so bad, don't understand why I have to stay here for another night."

"Well, that's good, I guess." Amelia seemed to be pondering if she was going to say something, and then she opened her mouth "I just have to ask, is this a sight we're going to have to get used to?"

"Well, Brother does tend to get injured quite often, so probably."

"Wow, Al, don't sugar-coat it or anything." Ed seemed unusually grumpy. Maybe he wasn't very fond of hospitals.

"Ed, don't be an idiot, they have a right to know if they're going to come along with us."

"Fine, whatever."

"Oh, and we brought you something," Amelia said, remembering the paper bag that Timothy was carrying.

"I, uhm, made this for you," Timothy was saying blushing a bit. "As a thanks for looking out for me and Amelia for the last week. It's not much, but it's something." He gave the bag to Ed quickly before staring down at his feet as though he was furiously trying to remember every detail of his shoelaces.

Ed opened the bag and took out a slice of the cake they made yesterday and a 'get well soon' card which featured Al with a cat's head. "Al told me how you guys always fight about him picking up stray cats so I thought it would be funny."

"It's great, thanks," Ed said with a smile, ruffling Timothy's brown hair.

"By the way, we'll be leaving for Liore tomorrow, Al already got the tickets."

"Okay, sounds fine."

The door was suddenly flung open and a seven-foot man with a majestic blonde moustache and tears in his eyes barged into the room with an enormous bouquet of roses. "Greetings Edward Elric! When I heard you were in the hospital – I DARE SAY NO MORE!"

Everybody was cowering, Timothy actually whimpered and the Elrics were shaking.

"And as I suspected, you're in desperate need of my assistance!" And man actually threw his uniform jacket off, revealing fine-tuned muscles that seemed to be glistening. Everyone yelped.

"You need the example of a perfect physical specimen to inspire your recovery."

Everyone screamed.

"You see, you're looking livelier already!"

"WILL YOU GET OUT!" Edward shouted.

_"He's sparkling, how does he sparkle?" _Timothy whispered. He was absolutely terrified, there's something quite unnerving with meeting someone who's almost a whole metre taller than yourself, especially with this man's glistening physique.

"Oh, and who is this charming young lady and you must surely be her brother, you look so much alike. Allow me to present myself: I am Major Alex Louis Armstrong, I am honoured to meet you." The man bowed.

"Amelia Hartwood, this is my little brother Timothy." Amelia said.

"And how is it you are acquainted with Edward and his brother?"

"We met them a week ago. They were in an accident and we helped her get to a hospital." Ed said.

"HOW TRAGIC! Am I right in assuming that that is how you came to end up in that wheelchair?"

"Yes, Sir. Ed and Al saved my life."

"OH! HOW AWE-INSPIRING! YOU ARE TRULY AMAZING, ELRIC BROTHERS!"

_"Why did you have to tell him that? Now he'll never let us go!"_ Ed whispered.

"_Well, I'm sorry, what will you do about it?"_

Ed got a mischievous glint in his eye.

"_Oh_, _Major_! We didn't tell you the full story. You see Amelia here jumped in front of a car, pushing away her brother while taking the blow for herself."

_"You didn't." _Amelia had a split-second flash of outrage, but then the Major had let the message sink in. Tears were gushing down his cheeks, sparkles set to max.

"OH! THERE IS TRULY NOTHING MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN THE LOVE BETWEEN SIBLINGS! ALLOW ME TO SHOW YOU MY GRATITUDE THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE LIKE YOU IN THIS WORLD, AMELIA HARTWOOD!" he swept her into an embrace, and Amelia was seriously regretting their cover story for how she lost her limbs as she swore she could hear her ribs _creaking_.

* * *

**So, that's chapter one. I hope you enjoyed it, because I had such a great time writing this. I feel sort of bad for Amelia, because I've been writing her a lot over the last few years, but I just thought it would be so fun to put her and Timothy in FMA, but of course she had to pay the prize to get there, so I sort of feel like a horrible mother right now.**

**If you notice any mistakes, please let me know.**

**And also, please PM me if you feel like discussing anything FMA, I'm Norwegian, so I have _n__obody_ to discuss it with and it's driving me insane because it's my favourite series of all time!**

**Reviews are most certainly welcome.**

**I will try to keep the chapters approximately the same length, and I will upload chapters as I write them. I have difficulties with chronic migraines, so I won't set a specific date for the uploads, but seeing as how I'm on sick leave, I think I'll be able to upload quite often.**


	2. Chapter 2: How to Piss Off a Priest

**I would just like to start with saying thank you to my four followers/favouriters, it means a lot!**

**Chapter warnings: some colourful language and Amelia has an emotional breakdown Amelia-style.**

**Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist is still the property of Hiromu Arakawa, I'm just the proud owner of a complete manga box set. And also, the OC's are of course my own.**

* * *

**Chapter two**

The train ride to Liore was one of the dullest experiences of Amelia and Timothy's lives. The seats were hard, and Ed's only suggestion as to how to pass the time was to sleep. That did not work for either of the Hartwoods. At least Timothy was able to use Amelia as a pillow when she decided to sit on one of the stiff benches in order to offer her little brother at least a smidgen of comfort. She, on the other hand, only managed about four hours of sleep each night which really wasn't enough, even when she had the option of the slightly softer wheelchair. The pain coming from her legs wasn't really helping either. When they finally reached the train station, she was utterly exhausted, and _so_ incredibly tired of sitting. She was stiff all over and she just wanted to lay down on a soft mattress. Instead, she was forced to endure two hours of scorching desert. She was lucky that she didn't have to walk, and Alphonse, having a body that was physically unable to tire, was pushing Amelia through the sand. While they were at the station, Ed had had the ingenious idea of taking a few metal scraps and transmuted them to the wheelchair in order to make some sort of sleigh. Amelia was now gliding through the landscape next to a pretty exhausted Timothy and a fuming Ed. When Timothy stumbled and fell into the soft sand, Ed bent down and picked him up and helped brush some of it off.

"Hey, Al, is it okay if Timothy rides the last stretch on my lap?" Amelia asked.

"Of course." The suit of armour checked that the young boy was securely seated, before he started walking again.

"Amelia, are you okay, it doesn't hurt your legs, does it?" Timothy asked nervously.

"Just a bit, it's nothing that I can't manage, just don't shift around."

"Who the _hell_ decides to put a freaking town in the middle of the desert anyway?!" Ed demanded angrily.

"Brother! You shouldn't talk like that!"

"Al, I have two metal limbs that are literally cooking me alive, I'm allowed to talk any fucking way I want to!"

"I actually think that's a valid point, you know," Amelia said. "I'm not really one for swearing, but if you have to, I think now's one of the more acceptable situations. Especially with the automail."

"I still don't think you should, at least not around Timothy."

"You know, society's rather lax about that where we're from, it's nothing he hasn't heard before. Besides, I think swearing sort of fits Ed."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ed asked grumpily.

"You seem like the hero-type, you know."

"No, I don't know."

"I mean tragic past, doing anything to save your little brother, highly skilled martial artist, heart in the right place, not following the Military's orders when you feel they're wrong, child prodigy, not to mention the fact that you practically raised your younger brother and he's one of the kindest people I know. I'd say that's the hero-type summed up right there. Plus the fact that you save lives all the time."

"And what does that have to do with swearing?"

"People like that are allowed to swear. They get crap thrown at them every day, and yet they keep on going. I mean you keep being scowled upon and called 'dog of the Military' all the time, but you just prove them wrong, while kneeing bad-guys in the face. When you get all that crap thrown at you, I think you're allowed to swear to your heart's desire in order to vent some of all that pent-up shit you carry. I'd say all of that makes you pretty awesome, so you're allowed that one vice."

"Well, thanks."

"You're welcome. I particularly like that you knee bad-guys in the face."

"My-my, what's this? Never knew you had such a violent streak."

"I guess you could call it more of a semi-sadistic streak. I usually prefer watching and reading things that involve a lot of blood and gore, you know. And people in pain. Of course, I would never do that to real people, and I don't enjoy it when it happens around me unless people really deserve it. But fictional characters? They're fair game."

"Uh-huh? And I thought you were a just a sweet, innocent girl," Ed said teasingly.

"You can't judge a book by its cover, you know."

* * *

"_Children of God who dwell on the earth… There is no salvation without prayer and faith. The Sun God Leto will illuminate thy path. Behold! The Lord hath descended from his heavenly throne to save thee from all thy sins."_ The radio told them. _"For I am thy Father… I am the emissary of the Sun God…"_

"…A religious broadcast on the radio?" Al asked. The four of them were having a meal and many glasses of some orange drink, when they noticed the preaching coming from the radio somewhere above Al's head.

"'Emissary of the Sun God'? What the heck is _that_?" Ed asked.

"Actually, I was going to ask the same about you… Are you guys street performers or something?" The man behind the disk asked them. Orange drink flew from Ed's glass as he snorted incredulously into his straw. Coughing noises coming from the smallest of them told them that Timothy had managed to inhale rather a lot of his own drink.

"Hey, wait a minute, pops! What is it about us that makes you think we're street performers!" Ed demanded of the old man.

"Well… I mean… What else could you be…?"

"Yeah, we dragged a bleeping wheelchair across the desert in order to bring you first class entertainment from 'Armour guy and Goldilocks'", Amelia rolled her eyes and snorted.

"Goldilocks?" Ed was looking down at her questioningly.

"Improvisation, never know what'll be the result," Amelia told him. "And your hair is quite distinct, so I just went for it."

"Whatever."

_"You're not going to tell him that that's a female character from a fairy tale?" _Timothy whispered into Amelia's ear.

"_I'm not suicidal."_ She whispered back.

"By the way, what's this broadcast?" Ed asked the stranger.

"You've never heard of Father Cornello before?"

"…_**Who**_?"

"Father Cornello, the Sun God Leto's emissary!"

A lot of people around them suddenly started talking excitedly about how the Father could perform miracles and how he showed them all the way of God.

Ed just sunk in his seat and looked away uninterestedly. "You're not listening, are you kid?" the old man asked him.

"Nope, I'm agnostic."

"Me too, let's make a club," Amelia said.

"I don't think that would be very popular around here," Al said, slightly worried.

"I know, I didn't mean it literally. It's just something I say sometimes when I have something in common with people."

"Oh."

Ed stood up "Thanks for the eats. let's go." Al bumped into the shelf the radio was situated on as he stood up, and it crashed to the ground.

"_Hey_! Could you _please_ be more careful, Sir? Frankly, you shouldn't walk around wearing that suit…"

"Our bad. Don't worry, we'll fix it right away," Ed said quickly. Al was already leaning down and drawing on the ground with a piece of chalk.

"You think you can _fix_ it?"

Ed was leaning his elbow on the counter, smirking. "Just sit back and watch." A few more chalk lines from Al, some blue lightning, and suddenly the radio was good as new. "How's that?" Ed said.

"That... That's amazing!" The old man said. "Can you work miracles?!"

Amelia and Timothy were laughing at the expression on Ed's face and the sweat drop that instantly adorned his forehead. Even Ed's antennae had dropped at the comment as he disbelievingly repeated the word.

They quickly gathered themselves, though, and Al put his hands on his hips while Ed smugly crossed his arms over his chest.

"We're just alchemists," Al said.

"We're the Elric brothers. A lot of people have heard of us," Ed supplied.

There was a lot of murmuring from the crowd filled with recognition and awe. Then they went up to Al, assuming that he was the master alchemist and prodigy. "Oh, I get it! They call you 'Fullmetal' because you wear this armour!"

"Uh, no... It's not me. It's him!" Al said, pointing at his brother.

"You mean the little guy?"

Ed exploded, Timothy covered his ears and Amelia was rendered speechless.

"I'M NOT LITTLE! DON'T CALL ME MIDGET! OR SHORTY! OR SHRIMP!"

People were sent flying, food was thrown everywhere and there were crashing and smashing-noises all over the place.

"I'm the younger brother, Alphonse Elric," Al said in a sweet explanation.

"It's _me_! I'm the 'Fullmetal Alchemist'! Edward Elric!" Ed was looking quite deranged.

"EDWARD!" Amelia yelled angrily. She had got a face full of French fries and ketchup. Her whole face was spattered with red dots, as well as greasy red streaks where the French fries had slid down her cheeks and forehead. Most of the offending meal had also fallen in her lap as she was sitting in her wheelchair.

Ed looked like he was caught somewhere in between utter horror and complete amusement. Then he cracked and started laughing heartily doubling over. "I'm s-sorry, but that's... Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!" And then he was just wheezing.

"Timothy," Amelia growled, "kick him." But her little brother was just as helpless as Ed. Even Al was chuckling.

"You traitors."

* * *

"Good day, Sir. My you're busy today," a smiling girl said as she came towards them. "Seems to be quite the commotion," she added, seeing Amelia's disheveled appearance.

"Ah, hello Rose, going to the temple with some offerings?" the proprietor asked.

"Yes, I see you've got some new faces here."

"Yes. They say they're looking for something."

"Well, may Leto bless you in your search!" The girl strolled off, acting as though three laughing strangers and a girl with ketchup in her face was completely normal.

"So we're just playing 'ignore the disabled girl' here?" Amelia asked irritability. "There's such a thing as being filled with too much of God's grace you know!" She wheeled over to Ed who was sitting on the ground, giggling, and filled her hands with the fries that were left in her lap, dumping them on his head. "I wouldn't like being subjected to that short crap, but last time I checked, you were capable of aiming at something other than your companions!"

"What the _hell_, Amelia?!" Ed shouted as he shook the fries out of his hair, glaring up at her.

"Now we're even!"

She turned her chair around, rounding on the proprietor "I'm sorry, Sir, but do you know somewhere where I may get cleaned up?"

"There are some rather nice public restrooms in the church."

"Thank you."

"Come on, we're leaving," she told the rest of her group. She promptly started rolling her wheelchair, but it was slow going, she still wasn't used to it, and the slippery layer of sand on top of the street didn't help. She growled in anger. Then suddenly someone started pushing her wheelchair for her.

"Sorry about that," Ed muttered from somewhere behind her head. She turned around and saw that Timothy and Alphonse were keeping some tactical distance.

She took a deep breath. "It's fine, just... don't do it again, okay?...I mean, you are doing us a favour just by letting us come with you, so I shouldn't really complain." She sighed. "Aaghh! I HATE being so helpless, I couldn't even dodge!" She banged her fists into her armrests as she spoke. "I HATE this! I hate being stuck in this thing and I hate needing constant help! I just wanna go home, I just want to be able to WALK! I'm trying to be strong, to pretend that it's okay and do the best with what we've got, but it's hard you know? I'm stiff from sitting in this chair and every time I look at Timothy I see worry in his eyes. There's something he won't talk to me about, but it's almost like he can't look me in the eye anymore, and I don't know what to do about it! And it all makes me so angry! But the worst part is that my little brother doesn't seem to trust me anymore with what is bothering him, and it gets worse every time I wince because of the pain or I have to ask for help with basic things. Has he said anything to you or Al? He seems to be rather close to him after all, and I think he already trusts you as if you were his older brothers."

"He hasn't said anything yet, I could try to talk to him."

"Thank you. And thank you for being so great with him. He usually has trouble making friends because he is too nice sometimes and he ends up getting hurt because if it. Also, I think it's good for him to have some male role models."

"Well, to be honest, he kind of reminds of Al."

"Yeah, no wonder they get along so well. Oh, and by the way, Ed. Sorry about dumping the French fries on your head. I guess I've just got lots of pent-up frustration."

"Believe me, I get it." He paused for a few seconds. "I guess we both have to look out for our baby brothers."

"Yeah, they're great though, really great."

"Yeah."

* * *

Amelia had cleaned herself up and changed into one of the dresses from the suitcase that was conveniently stored inside of Al's chest. She had found that wearing long dresses was a lot easier than constantly waging battle on her trouser legs.

She rolled out through the door, pleased with herself at the way she had managed to finally get the last grains of salt out of her armrests. She heard a bell tolling, and she realised she had spent almost an hour on her endeavour. She wheeled about, and quickly realised she was lost. She was outside some kind of office as she heard the voices of two men talking to each other. She was about to knock to ask for directions when she heard the sound of a very familiar name. She froze.

"I can't be bothered now, just send them away. Wait, the Elrics? You're sure that's what they said, you're positive?"

"Yes, Father, that's what they called themselves. No mistake."

"Damn! Then this is a problem. Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist has come to call on us."

Amelia's heart got caught in her throat. She turned away from the door swiftly and headed down the hall, hoping to reach the others in time to warn them. These people were obviously up to no good. She maneuvered her wheelchair as best she could, until she reached a hallway where doors to a an enormous stone room could be found. She finally spotted her quarry, being led by a man in a black suit. They were heading for the great room and Amelia shouted at them "GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

The Elrics immediately assumed fighting stances, but Amelia, having failed to notice the guards coming from behind her, was soon pinned to the floor. She watched in horror as the man in the black suit pointed a gun at her little brother.

"Brother Cray! What are you doing?!" the girl from before said scandalised.

"These are heathens who are trying to discredit the Father. This is God's will." He motioned for the guards pinning Amelia down to bring her over to them.

They lifted her up by her armpits, dragging her with them until she was inside the room. They dropped her, once again pinning her to the ground with their odd-looking staffs.

Amelia was furiously taking in her surroundings: Ed was being restrained, Alphonse was standing there, not daring to move, and Timothy was terrified, the gun still pointed at his head.

"You get that thing away from my brother! He's got nothing to do with this! He's ten for god's sake!" Amelia felt frightened tears starting to form at the corners of her eyes.

And then the Elrics reacted at the same time, Al punching Cray in the face while Ed tackled both of his guards to the ground. They were all out cold, large bumps on their heads. The two remaining ones were looking quite ill at ease. Then Ed came flying elegantly through the air with an evil grin, kneeing one of them in the face before tackling the other with a well-aimed kick.

Amelia sat up as Timothy came running over to her and sat himself down and flung himself around her neck. Amelia gently patted the boy's back. Ed observed the two, smiling.

"What's this commotion?" Father Cornello suddenly demanded from the gigantic staircase/platform at the end of the room. "Ah, the Fullmetal Alchemist. Welcome to the home of our sacred order. I must apologise for my disciples' behaviour it would seem they've been misguided."

"Okay, let's say I believe you weren't the one guiding them, what next?" Ed said.

"Have you come to learn the ways of Leto?"

"Well, there are a few things I'm curious about. Like how you've been using second-rate alchemy to deceive your followers." If you didn't know him, you'd think he was taking this lightly, but one could tell from the fire in his eyes that he was pissed.

"My dear boy, I don't know what you mean. What your doubting eyes see as alchemy are the miracles of the Sun God Leto." He closed his hands, red lightning appeared as he formed a small Leto statue in the palm of his hand. "Look again. Could mere alchemy create something from nothing in this way?"

"Yeah, that's what I didn't get at first." He was scratching his head. "How can you perform transmutations that ignore the laws of Equivalent Exchange?"

"As I said! Because it isn't alchemy!"

"But then I started thinking about it: if you'd somehow managed to acquire a certain object to amplify your alchemy. One that's said to make the impossible possible." He lifted his gaze to Cornello. "That would explain everything."

"What?"

"I'm talking about the Philosopher's Stone. Your ring, that's it, isn't it? I've been looking for that." He started walking forwards towards Cornello.

"The ring is just a ring. I am God's humble servant. It is from He alone that I derive my power."

"Still trying to sell that line, huh? If that's the way you wanna play it, I guess I'll have to come up there and beat some truth out of you."

"My, you really are quite the incorrigible heathen, aren't you? Rose, dear?"

"Yes, Father?" The girl said.

"That gun there beside you. Pick it up."

"Uh, okay."

She picked it up from the floor.

"Now, I want you to shoot the Fullmetal Alchemist."

The girl was horrified. "No, I... Father I can't do that!"

" I am the Sun God's chosen emissary. My word is the word of Leto himself... Shoot him Rose, it's God's will."

Rose was shaking, her head lowered in shame.

"Why hesitate? When you lost your fiancée to that tragic accident last year, who was it that saved you from the very depths of despair? Have you forgotten?"

"It was you, Father."

"That's right! It was I who took your hand and led you into God's light. And you recall what it was I promised you then?"

"You said if I had faith you'd bring him back to life!" she shouted desperately. She pointed the gun at Alphonse who quickly started waving his hands.

"No, wait! It's not me! Honest!"

Rose gasped and turned confused to Ed. Amelia was laughing, not at his outrage, but at the fact that he was waving his hands and feet in a fashion that made him look like the world's most pissed off Christmas angel. "DAMMIT! I'M THE FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST! IT'S NOT HIM, IT'S ME!"

Amelia did the same thing then that she had done when her father had pointed a gun at her, she tried to confuse them and keep them talking until she had a better plan. "NO! IT'S ME! THESE ARE MY BODYGUARDS! I'M CALLED 'FULLMETAL' BECAUSE OF MY AUTOMAIL LEGS! BUT THEY'RE IN FOR REPAIRS AT THE MOMENT! THAT'S WHY I'M IN DISGUISE! AND THIS HERE IS MY LITTLE BROTHER, ALPHONSE!" she bellowed, pointing at Timothy. At a sudden stroke of brilliance, she added "WHY ELSE WOULD THAT GUY BE IN A SUIT OF ARMOUR? NO KID IS THAT TALL!"

Everyone turned to her, completely nonplussed, mouths wide open. They all went "huh?" at the exact same moment.

"ARE YOU COMPLETELY INSANE?" Ed demanded.

"I SHOULD ASK THE SAME OF YOU, JIMMY! STOP TAKING THE BLAME FOR ME!" She had shouted out the first name that came to her head, which happened to be her cousin's.

"DON'T LISTEN TO HER! _**I'M**_ EDWARD ELRIC!"

"STOP BEING SO NOBLE, **JIMMY**! I'M JUST DOING MY JOB HERE! ALCHEMISTS WORK FOR THE PEOPLE, RIGHT? WELL YOU'RE A PERSON TOO!"

"I'M NOT JIMMY!"

While Ed and Amelia were discussing Ed's 'true' identity, Al simply walked over to Rose and picked the gun out of her still shaking hands, and she hardly noticed as she was more focused on the argument in front of them. When she noticed that the gun was out of her hands, she sank to her knees, tears flowing down her face.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Cornello bellowed. "I'M JUST GONNA HAVE TO LET MY CHIMERA TAKE CARE OF ALL OF YOU DAMN BRATS!" He pushed down a lever, and all of a sudden a great roaring was heard.

It was the oddest creature the Hartwoods had ever seen. It had the upper body of a lion, hind legs of a bird and the tail of a lizard.

Ed was suddenly eyeing the creature, completely forgetting their argument. He took a deep breath and spoke in his even, unfazed voice, hands in his pockets. "So this is the sort of thing you do with the Philosopher's Stone, that's just twisted." He sighed, raising his hands "Anyway, looks like I'm gonna need a weapon." He clapped his hands and was surrounded by blue lightning as he transmuted a spear out of the stone floor.

"NO TRANSMUTATION CIRCLE? So the State Alchemist title isn't just for show, you truly are gifted. However," he said darkly as the animal leapt forwards slicing the spear into pieces with its claws, as well as shredding Ed's left trouser leg. "...Your spear is no match for chimera claws that can tear through iron!"

"Oh no!" Ed said as Rose shrieked in a horrified manner. He grinned evilly up at the laughing Cornello "...PSYCH!" The creature's claws broke off and it charged again as Ed held his left leg up into the air in a kick, smugly saying "Sorry. These are custom made."

"BITE HIM, YOU STUPID BEAST!"

The creature jumped on Ed's right arm, teeth and claws tearing the fabric.

"What's the matter, Kitty? Tastes bad?" Ed said before he his leg shot up and kicked it in the face.

Amelia cringed and felt extremely sorry for the poor creature, it wasn't its fault after all.

Ed started tearing off his ripped right sleeve, speaking directly to Rose. "Look at me, Rose. This is what happens when you use alchemy on humans... This is what happens to sinners who trespass in God's domain!"

Rose was looking horrified. Cornello was looking like he had an epiphany of some kind. "Automail... Full steel prosthetics... 'Full metal' prosthetics... so that's why... THE FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST!"

Ed was glaring up at the man, right side of his shirt torn away so that the whole arm was visible. His right fist raised, he called out to Cornello "Come down here and face me, you third-rate fraud. I'll show you there's no comparison between us!"

"I see. It was always such a mystery to me why a mere brat had a fearsome alias like 'Fullmetal'... Look at them, Rose. They dared to do the one thing forbidden to alchemists... The unspeakable crime of human transmutation!"

"Hey! Don't you just assume that I did it too! ... I am more of an accident. A byproduct of some sort of glitch in the time-space continuum!"

"The what?" She had obviously disturbed Cornello's train of thought.

"The time-space continuum. You know, Timey-wimey... stuff. Don't know how to explain it, either you get it or you don't. And don't you dare bad-mouth Ed and Al! They were kids! You're just an oversized baldy with a ring and some sort of complex that you should see a therapist about!"

"Huh?"

"Psychologist, psychiatrist, pick your poison. Either way, you just tried to kill four children! While. Laughing.! INCLUDING MY BROTHER! Now Ed! Do me a favour and knee this guy in the face!" Amelia said, her arms crossed and looking slightly like a very stubborn baby with her legs missing like that in her overly long dress.

"You know what, Amelia? That sounds like a really good idea," Ed smirked, his back facing her, still glaring at the Father. "But first I'll need that stone."

"You fools! As if I would willingly give up this power just so you could bring someone dead back to life!"

"YOU SHIT!" Amelia hollered. "STOP ASSUMING THINGS YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT!" Amelia generally had a lot of patience, but this man was really starting to get on her nerves. And his voice was tremendously annoying as well. Plus her legs were aching a lot and she just wanted a soft bed. "THESE GUYS ARE A BLEEP OF A LOT BETTER THAN YOU SO JUST SHUT IT!"

_Great, he finally made her snap, _Timothy thought miserably.

"ALL WE WANT IS TO REGAIN OUR BODIES, WHILE YOU ON THE OTHER HAND CLEARLY HAVE AN ISSUE WITH LOW SELF-ESTEEM!" She continued, oblivious as to the awkward faces the others were giving her. "JUST SEE A SHRINK! DON'T START A CULT! AND DON'T EVER TRY TO KILL MY FRIENDS! I'VE BEEN HAVING SOME OF THE WORST DAYS OF MY LIFE, I LOST MY LEGS JUST LAST WEEK! I'M IN PAIN AND JUST WANT TO SLEEP YOU BASTARD! AND I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU EVER ASK SOMEONE TO POINT A GUN AT MY LITTLE BROTHER AGAIN, I WILL FIND SO MANY WAYS TO TORTURE YOU SLOWLY! YOU KNOW WHAT, LET'S BEGIN NOW! _**ONE-TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE! THREE-FOUR, KNOCK AT THE DOOR! FIVE-SIX, PI-ICK UP STICKS! SEVEN-EIGHT OPEN THE GATE! NINE-TEN, LET'S DO IT AGAIN! ONE-TWO..."**_

The girl continued singing, and Ed looked questioningly at her. "Told you that you wouldn't like to see her mad," Timothy said in with calm voice, although looking slightly alarmed as Amelia began singing the first line for the fifth time.

"JUST SHUT UP, YOU STUPID GIRL! YOU KNOW WHAT, MAYBE I SHOULD SHUT YOU UP PERMANENTLY!" Cornello shouted after the seventh rendition of the song, transmuting a machine gun out of nowhere, before firing wildly at the two Hartwoods.

He laughed maniacally, but as the dust settled, he saw that instead of the bloody corpses of the kids he had imagined in his mind's eye, he was facing a stone wall riddled with bullet holes. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that. Like she said, we're their friends," Ed stated smugly, his gloved left hand still leaning against the wall he had just transmuted to shield the three of them. Amelia was panting, tears trickling down her cheeks. Ed bent down quickly and put a hand on her shoulder. "We need to leave, do you mind riding on my back?" He sat down in order for her to climb on, just as Al shot over to Rose in order scoop her up while also drawing the fire. Ed turned to his brother as he was running for the door, Amelia clinging on to his shoulders for dear life. "Al! Let´s get out of here!" Al ran behind Timothy in order to shield him too, just as Cornello shouted "Fools! The exit is rigged! Only I can open it from here!"

Ed obviously wasn't troubled by this. "Oh, is that so!?" He clapped his hands, slamming them to the wall. A second of blue lightning, and suddenly they were barging through the doors and into the hall. "If there's no door, then I'll make one!"

They were sprinting, Ed not too bothered by the extra weight which amazed Amelia. They ran towards a few guards who were taunting and teasing Ed, but he merely grinned, clapped his hands and transmuted his automail arm into this incredibly deadly-looking sword-like thing with elaborate carvings.

The guards were not in the best shape afterwards.

They ran past a room, and Ed suddenly stopped, observing the interior. "Huh? What's this?"

Rose explained, no longer being carried by Alphonse. "The broadcasting room. This is where Father Cornello delivers his sermons on the radio..."

"_**Oh really..." **_Ed smirked evilly.

* * *

Alphonse, Timothy and Rose were standing on the roof as Cornello exposed his entire plan over the newly transmuted loudspeaker. Amelia had stayed behind, apparently Ed had given her some ideas, but she had refused to say what they were.

"YOU LITTLE RATS!" Cornello bellowed. "How long has that switch been on?"

"Since the beginning. You just exposed your entire plan," Ed said tauntingly.

"Wha... Wha... What?!" A pause. "You dumb brats! I'm going to kill you!"

And then came something very unexpected. The sound of an electric guitar. "She didn't..." Timothy said shocked. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Did what?" Al asked, confused.

"She's playing _Highway to Hell_."

* * *

Amelia had never been more pleased with herself. She was excitedly watching as Ed sliced his newly transmuted automail arm through the machine gun in Cornello's hands. A large part of it fell to the floor.

"I won't... I won't give up..." Cornello said. "As long as I have this stone I can make miracles again and again!" Red lightning crackled, but something was wrong this time. The gun merged with his arm and Cornello screamed in pain.

Ed froze, then he smashed his forehead into Cornello's face, breaking his nose. "SHUT UP! It was just a rebound! Don't make a big deal over one or two arms! The stone! Let me see the Philosopher's Stone!"

But then the stone broke, fell out of the ring, and as it fell on the floor, it turned to dust before their eyes.

Amelia was speechless, she hardly heard what Ed said after that. She had only known them for about ten days or so, but she could already feel some of the despair that Ed felt. It was impossible to be around those brothers for even a short time, without getting invested in their lives and their success in regaining their bodies. She wasn't even particularly sad as to what this would mean for herself. She was focused on what this meant for the brothers who had saved her life and already meant a great deal to Timothy. She felt mad and angry at Cornello for giving them false hope. She was about to turn around and glare at him, but as she swung her upper body, she felt a sharp pain in her right shoulder. Cornello had, in a desperate attempt to get at least a tiny bit of revenge, snuck up from behind. He was sliding the sharp metallic spike that was embedded in his arm, out if her right shoulder with a manic glint in his eyes. She fell backwards with a gasp of pain, lying on her back clasping her bleeding shoulder while desperately trying not to scream out in pain. Had she not turned around when she did, she would have been dead right now.

Ed reacted instinctively at the sound of the pained gasp, and he ran at Cornello as he saw what he had done. "BASTARD!" He knocked him out with a single blow from his right hand, punching out a few teeth as he did so, before turning to Amelia.

He quickly assessed the damage before turning around to Cornello, transmuting his ugly jacket into bandages, leaving the bald man with his fat ugly stomach exposed. He quickly sat Amelia up, wrapping up her shoulder. It had been run through completely and it was bleeding quite a lot. He bandaged it quickly before gently lowering her to the floor. Amelia was sobbing and gasping in pain. He ran over to where the phone was still screaming, this time about how it was 'Back in Black', and turned the volume off as Amelia had showed him how to earlier. He spoke into the microphone "Al, get over here, quickly, we need some help."

He sat down by Amelia's side. "I'm sorry, I should have been paying more attention to Cornello."

"What about me? You can't go on blaming yourself without blaming me too, I should have known he was one for cheap shots," Amelia croaked, hissing and flinching at the pain. "Would you hand me my phone, I should turn off the music."

Ed gave it to her, and she clicked it twice, before returning her left hand to her aching shoulder. "Probably shouldn't have sung the nursery rhymes, I guess he hated me about as much as you by the end," she made a sound that was probably meant as a chuckle, but it ended up as a series of pained gasps.

"Yeah. That was crazy what you did."

"I said I had a lot of pent-up frustration."

Ed chuckled, trying to keep her talking as best he could. They needed Rose's help to find the local doctor, as well as Al to carry Amelia, who would probably be more comfortable in his overly large arms.

* * *

Amelia wasn't really sure as to what had happened over the course of the next twelve hours. She had been in a sort of constant flashback-loop of the moment when she had realised her father was a murderer, and the fear the deranged glimmer in his eyes had given her. She remembered the night they had arrived, watching as that _thing _stole her legs, the terror as she had woken up in that blind alley. Worst of all was the look in Timothy's eyes when she was nearly bleeding to death. The terror and the pain he had held in his eyes was something she never wished to see again. Seeing that look made her feel like she had been failing him. Because she was if she was leaving him behind. She knew it wasn't really her fault, logically speaking, but instinctively was a completely different matter.

She was noticing that people were talking around her, and as the pain in her shoulder grew, the voices became more recognisable.

"We should get out of here," Ed's voice said.

"But Brother! What if she gets worse?"

"Al! They want us gone!"

"I'm scared." The voice of her little brother made her instinctively reach her arms out for him, but as her right arm was now in a sling, it made her look rather odd with her halfway sitting up with her left hand out in front of her, her eyes still closed.

"Amelia?" the three boys asked simultaneously.

She opened her eyes slowly, taking in the three of them. She blinked a few times, grunting. As she got used to the light around her, she opened them fully, realising her arm was still extended. She lowered it.

Timothy was looking at her uncertainly. In answer she lifted her arm again, beckoning him over to her. He came over to her, and she gripped him in a tight one-armed hug. She had a feeling he had been thinking about many of the same things as her for the last few hours.

"Timothy, we need to talk."

"What about?"

"Why are you avoiding me?"

"I'm not."

"Well, you're not looking me in the eye when you see me either."

Timothy was silent for a while. It may not be the best moment for this conversation, but Amelia didn't care. She just wanted to know. And she had a strange feeling the Elrics would be able to help, which is why she didn't ask them to leave.

"It's my fault isn't it?" He whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"We wouldn't be here if I hadn't said I wanted a fresh start. You'd still have your legs, and you wouldn't have been hurt. That _thing _heard me, it was why it brought us here."

"Timothy I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to do something for me."

"What?"

"By your own logic, I will have to ask you to kick yourself in the shin. Or maybe it's Ed who has to do it, I'm not sure."

"What?"

Ed was giving a little smile at the corner of her eye. He understood her perfectly. Timothy still didn't understand her, and Ed gently strolled over to the pair of them and kicked Timothy lightly on his right shin. He smirked, leaned down to Timothy's ear, and whispered loudly: "you're stupid."

Timothy's eyes widened. Amelia started to laugh, giving Ed a high five behind Timothy's back. "Thanks, Ed, that was a beautiful performance!" Ed gave a mock bow.

"What?" Timothy asked, still confused.

"What we mean to say is that what you said couldn't be further from the truth. Timothy, it's not your fault that a sadistic limb-stealing, time-travelling, multidimensional monster decided to screw with us." She squeezed his shoulder. "You just said something, that's all. I'd been thinking it for the last two months. You are completely innocent in all of this. Believe me, I don't blame you in the slightest. If anything I blame myself for not raising you right if you think you can blame yourself for this."

"Oh, okay." She hugged him once more.

Al smiled at the pair of them, as far as a suit of armour could smile. Ed just patted Timothy's shoulder twice, before he straightened up.

"Right, and now that that's settled, we have another issue. The town's not very happy with us, I think they'll need some time to get over the fact that they'd been conned for a few years and it was all exposed by four minors in under a day. Also, as amusing as your stunt was, that song didn't go along too well with the crowds. We've already had a couple of people trying to throw rocks at the windows here, so I think we should leave," Ed said.

"But she might not be well enough, she lost a lot of blood!" Al said worriedly.

"I know, Al, but I still don't think we should stay."

"Hey, I'll be sitting down wherever I go, I don't want Timothy to stay here, I agree with Ed," Amelia said. "But could we not travel in the middle of the day? I don't want to add dehydration to my list of worries, I'm useless enough as it is."

"Sounds like a good idea, hopefully people will be sleeping as well," Ed said. Timothy nodded, and Al hung his head, obviously still worried.

* * *

They thanked the doctor, a nice middle-aged man who was both sad and relieved to see them go, obviously he had the same thoughts as Al. Amelia was once again sitting in a transmuted wheelchair-sleigh, although this time, she had it for herself. Once again Timothy stumbled, but that was understandable enough, yesterday's ordeals had been hard on him, and it was in the middle of the night. When he didn't immediately get up, but instead curled himself up in the soft sand, Ed gently roused him, before convincing Timothy to sit on his back for the last stretch. He fell asleep almost instantly, and was snoring softly by the time they reached the train station. "Thanks for your help earlier today. And for saving my life... again." Amelia thought for herself for a few moments before adding "Wow, what happened to me the last two months? I went for sixteen years and four months without ever having a more serious injury than a badly sprained ankle, and now, just in the past sixty days I've been beaten unconscious, shot, lost two of my limbs and nearly bled to death, twice, and I've been stabbed." She started laughing "I got stabbed by a priest after playing 'Highway to Hell' inside a church! That's brilliant!"

Ed started laughing too, even Al chuckled. Amelia was at the moment quite fond of whatever painkillers the doctor had given her, it wasn't as if the pain had gone away, it was more like she couldn't be bothered by the fact that it was there. And she was really tired which also helped making things much funnier than they actually were.

"But honestly, don't pull that sort of trick again with trying to draw the fire. Me and Al can handle ourselves, but you... Uh." Ed began the sentence angrily, but didn't really want to insult Amelia either, so it ended rather weaker than it was supposed to.

"I'm a useless cripple who's tagging along, but doesn't really do the smartest things when she's stressed and her brother and friends are in trouble?" Amelia smirked at Ed. "And don't forget I have no training whatsoever and you are being incredibly kind to let us join you?" Amelia had to snort at the look of confusion upon his face, because he couldn't possibly agree to that, but he had to respond in some way. Amelia decided to help him out and just said "Thanks, Ed. Thank you both. We'd have been lost without your help. No, sorry. Timothy would be lost without your help. I'd be dead."

Ed just shrugged. "Well, just don't forget your promise, you told us that you wouldn't die, and you nearly did so not even two weeks later!" He wasn't done trying to lecture her.

Amelia's problem was that she perfectly understood what had happened, she just was a bit too honest, which made her seem unconcerned. Also, she really was terrible at handling stressful situations, and she basically had two modes she could go into. Either she stopped thinking and became recklessly impulsive, or she broke down in tears because she honestly hated abrupt changes. Hence 'Jimmy'.

* * *

Amelia looked at the sleeping form on the train station bench beside her. She looked at the Elrics, deciding to share a thought with them, because she had basically said that she had had the worst two weeks of her life. This of course, could mean that she said to them that she didn't value their friendship. This would be bad. Really bad. Amelia had difficulties making new friends, and now she'd made two in a very short amount of time. She was actually quite proud of herself. And truly grateful.

"Hey, you know when I said earlier about this being some of the worst days if my life? I'd just like you to know that it hasn't been all bad either. I really appreciate getting to know you guys, and if you haven't noticed, Timothy adores you two. He's usually a lot shier around new people. I think I can already say that you guys are some of the best friends I've ever had. It's just that I also miss my friends from home. And I miss Auntie Gwendolyn. Other than that, there's actually not much tying me to that place. Who knows, maybe we actually got lucky. I just need to get used to being here. I just wish there was more I could do to help. It's like you guys always say, it has to be Equivalent Exchange. But I'm not really giving anything in return, I'm just along for the ride." She sighed.

"But you are giving us something, me and Brother value your friendship, and it's fun to feel like an older brother for a change."

_Blimey! How is that sweet little kid so unlike his brother?!_

* * *

They had bordered the 9.30 train for East City, and were sitting there while Amelia was making Siri do 'knock-knock' jokes. Some of them were actually quite amusing, especially since Ed and Al were still quite mesmerised by the whole concept of Siri.

"How does it do that?" Ed said, still not taking 'no' for answer.

"Like I said before, no idea. It just does it and I like it and I can make it say the opera section of _Bohemian Rhapsody_. And the best part is that it's a basic function for all Siris as long as it's in English." The moment she started talking about Queen, she felt her focus on her painful limbs drifting to all the fun facts she had stored inside of her head. She really wanted to share them, but she was afraid that it wouldn't go over well with the boys. Instead she decided to freak them out a bit by showing her the cover of 'The Miracle' (their album from 1989, not the song). It had been love at first sight. It was slightly creepy, with their heads merged together side by side, joined by the eyes. "Hey! Look at that! It's the same way it looks like in our world! It's not simplified! I'm so gonna freak you guys out with this picture!"

She turned her phone towards the Elrics, and Ed's eyebrows shot into the air as he let out a little scream. "That's freaky!"

"I know, isn't it great!"

"Do you really look like that where you're from?"

"Yup."

"No wonder you were asking why your brother looked like he did after you woke up." After the initial shock had died down, Ed added "You know what? _It is_ kinda cool actually."

* * *

Not long after, Ed was sleeping soundly on his bench, which meant that Al and Timothy were sharing the other, while Amelia was sitting in her wheelchair. Ed began snoring, Timothy was asleep too, leaning his head on Al's arm. Amelia was discussing hedgehogs with Al.

The door of their car was abruptly thrown open, and two men came in, guns in their hands. "Alright, everybody put their hands in the air!" One of them shouted. A couple of young girls screamed and started crying, many people whimpered and Timothy gasped.

Amelia raised her left arm into the air, looking more like she wanted to ask a question in class than being held hostage. Part of her was scared, but another part, the drugged one, most likely, wanted to sigh. She had grown tired of bad guys with guns, now they just reminded her of Father Cornello.

Timothy was scared, he looked to his big sister, her arm in the air, looking more worried than plain frightened. He checked Ed, expecting to see the blonde boy in some sort of fighting stance, or at least highly alert. Instead he seemed dead to this world. He was still snoring, actually.

As the screaming and whimpering quieted down, the hi-jackers became aware of the noise, and one of them came over to the booth, watching the boy with a confused look. He leaned on the bench, "... How can this brat sleep through all of this?" He started poking Ed's cheek with his gun. "Hey! Wake up!"

_Snore _

"Why you... Act more like a hostage... ... **YOU LITTLE RUNT!**"

Ed's eyes snapped open, his left boot hit the floor, he leaned his right arm on the bench's back, his face dark. He looked like something that was supposed to come out of a swamp in a horror movie.

"What? You got a problem or something!? Huh!?" The incredibly _daft_ man said, placing his gun an inch from Edward's nose.

Next second Ed had clapped his hands around the weapon, transmuting it so that the barrel got twisted and the end looked rather like a trumpet.

"Wh- what the hell is _this_!?"

And then Ed simply kicked his foot into his face, rendering the man unconscious. And of course the crook had to fall sideways over Amelia, toppling her wheelchair so that she fell on her bad shoulder. She gave a pained noise from where she was pinned by the unconscious man. "CRAP! OW!" She exclaimed.

"Amelia!" Timothy shouted.

The other hi-jacker had heard the noise and pointed his gun at Ed's head. "That was dumb, kid. We were ordered to kill all resisters." Ed just scowled. "I don't want to shoot a runt like you, but..."

Al just tilted the man's hand into the air, so that the gun was pointed at the ceiling instead. "Okay, okay. The two of you should just calm down."

"What?! You want to fight us too?"

_**BAFF**_

Ed had flown gracefully into the air, arms held up into the air, his right knee planted in the man's face. He then proceeded to nearly killing him.

"_**YOU CALL ME A RUNT?! A DWARF? A 'LITTLE PERSON'!?"**_

"Big Brother! Big Brother! If you don't stop, he's gonna die!"

Ed stopped, holding the man by the front of his shirt. "So, um... Who _are _these guys?"

Al sighed.

"Would anyone please help me here?" Amelia said, teeth gritted in pain. She was leaning sideways, the man was lying on top of her, his legs on top of the side of the wheelchair. Amelia had a mental picture of him being some sort of human safety-bar, except for the fact that he was painfully leaning on her bad shoulder.

Ed and Al came over to her, Ed just toppled the unconscious man off the wheelchair, and he lay slumped on the floor beside, instead of on top of, Amelia. She slid even more onto her shoulder and gritted her teeth in pain, also because the armrest was digging into her back. Al lifted her up while Ed righted her wheelchair. Al gently sat her down on it, and Amelia thanked them. They then turned around and rounded on the beaten up hi-jacker that was still conscious, and got the information about the rest of the hi-jackers and their locations, before Ed climbed out the window and onto the roof.

* * *

Twenty minutes later they returned with a very grumpy-looking criminal with an eye-patch. The remainder of the train-ride was uneventful, and before they knew it, they pulled up at the East City Train Station. As Ed and Al walked out and handed the criminal to some MPs, they were met by two other people in Military uniforms. For some reason, one of them was grinning.

"Hey. Fullmetal." The black-haired man said with his left hand raised in a form of greeting.

Ed was not giving him a happy look. Al straightened up in surprise "Oh, hello, Colonel."

"What's with the unhappy face?"

Ed gave a few curses. "I wouldn't have helped out if I knew it was in **your **district!"

"You still don't like me... huh?"

"Uhm, Ed, some help?" Amelia said from the top of the steps leading down from the train and onto the platform.

Alphonse had apparently heard them, and came swiftly over before he lifted the wheelchair down to the ground.

Roy Mustang was watching the two siblings, because they obviously were, with slightly raised eyebrows. He had not suspected his subordinate to travel with anyone other than his brother, but these kids were obviously with him as well. What puzzled him was the fact that they looked completely normal with no signs of fighting skills. The youngest was just a little boy, and the oldest was in a wheelchair and had her right arm in a sling. The pair of them looked really unlikely as their travelling companions.

"So, who's this, Fullmetal?"

"This is Amelia Hartwood and her brother Timothy." He turned towards the two siblings. "Amelia, Timothy, this here is Colonel Roy Mustang, my superior officer."

"Oh, well, hello, Sir."

There were suddenly shouts of pain from behind them, and they saw the criminal known as 'Bald' standing in front of them, panting, a hidden knife extended from his severed automail arm.

"Please stay back, Colonel..." Hawkeye began, pulling her gun out, but he merely put a hand in front of her, holding her back.

"I'll take care of this."

He stepped forwards, pushing the Hartwoods to the side, as Bald charged forward, obviously planning to kill Edward with his knife.

He snapped the fingers on his right hand, creating a controlled explosion. Bald was sent flying through the air, before landing at Roy's feet.

"I took it easy on you. If you try to resist again, I'll turn you into ash, got it?"

His eyepatch still smoking, Bald glared up at him from where he was pinned to the floor by an MP. "You damn... Who the hell are you!?"

"Roy Mustang. Rank: Colonel. And one more thing. _I'm the 'Flame Alchemist'. Don't forget that."_

* * *

"Fullmetal, I expect your report on my desk within the hour."

Another string of curses from the young man. "We've hardly gotten back, and already you have me doing paperwork!"

"Yes. And guessing by your right arm, no luck with the Philosopher's Stone either?"

"No."

"Well, I expect your report on that too, although I don't really need that one before tomorrow."

"Wow, so generous," Ed said sarcastically.

"Now, would you mind telling me why you're accompanied by a girl in a wheelchair and her little brother? I'm guessing they're the same as the ones you told Hughes about."

"It's complicated."

"Then you could just start at the beginning."

"None of your business, Colonel."

"You know, it's funny. Hughes never told me about her having an injured arm as well."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I can't just have one of my subordinates running around with a couple of untrained civilians on Military missions! Especially when they go and get themselves hurt, Fullmetal."

"Ed?" Amelia called from somewhere behind them.

Ed looked slightly relieved, and fell back a few steps to join her. "What is it?"

The young woman pulled on his sleeve in order to get him closer. She whispered something to him, and after a few whispers back and forth, Ed sighed heavily. He sped up and walked a step behind him, "Listen, Colonel, we'll tell you, but not here."

* * *

Riza Hawkeye closed the office door behind them, before she professionally walked up to the desk to stand behind Mustang. She was wondering about these two kids, there was something not quite right about them, but she couldn't exactly tell what it was.

Mustang was folding his hands, leaning his chin on them, obviously waiting for an explanation. "So, why are these two accompanying you, Fullmetal?"

"I think we should make one thing clear first. Not one word of this leaves this office."

"Of course."

"Good. Now Colonel, you remember when me and Al tried to bring back our Mom?"

_It will be a long time before I forget that. _Hawkeye thought to herself.

"Yes."

"When the transmutation failed, we were taken somewhere, something I call of the Gate. Well, it turns out there's this creature there, it took my limbs, and Amelia's."

"You mean to say that these two tried human transmutation?!"

"No, please, Sir, we didn't. We did however see this being called 'Truth', and it filled our heads with all this information, and it demanded a toll." Amelia was trying to make it very clear that they never did anything illegal.

"Then how did you get to this 'Gate'?"

"We don't know. We were just walking through the forest outside our home, when Timothy uttered a wish about getting a fresh start, when we were suddenly brought there. When we got back, we weren't in the forest, but in a blind alley."

"Isn't that unusual?"

"It is, I've never heard about anything like it before," Ed said.

"It wasn't until after these two had brought us to a hospital, I nearly bled to death after all, that we found out how wrong everything was."

"What do you mean?" Hawkeye could hear that Mustang was much more intrigued by this than he was letting on.

"I mean that when we left, we were in England in 2019."

"What?!"

"I mean that we're from a hundred-and-five years into the future, and it's not even the same world as this one."

"What do you mean?" One could tell by the slight pressure he put on the last word that he was having a hard time believing their story.

"I'm talking about the fact that alchemy's been dead for a few centuries."

"Then what do you have instead?"

"Physics and chemistry. Also, whatever you call alchemy here, would also be interpreted as magic back home."

"Do you have any proof of your claims?"

"Colonel, there's no other way she could tell us about the Truth, and there wasn't any transmutation circle or... anything... like what we created."

"I'm going to need more than that."

Ed looked at Amelia. "Siri?"

Amelia nodded. "Siri." She turned to Al who was once again carrying her possessions, including her Queen + Adam Lambert tote bag. He handed her the small bag, and she quickly found the desired object. She pressed the button at the bottom of her phone in order to show the Colonel what the thing looked like.

Mustang's eyebrows were raised. "What's this?"

"That, Sir, is my phone."

"Your _phone_?"

"Hey, Siri."

"What can I help you with?" a strange male voice said.

"When was Killer Queen released?"

"'Killer Queen' by Queen was released on 11 October 1974."

"You could have made it say that, couldn't you?"

"Hey, Siri, play 'Killer Queen'", Amelia said simply. After about thirty seconds where Mustang and Hawkeye were definitely mystified by this strange device, Amelia turned down the volume with a small button. "Now, Mister Mustang, does that sound like anything you've ever heard before?"

"No."

"Hey, Siri, knock knock."

"Sure. Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"Dwayne."

"Dwayne who?"

"Dwayne the bathtub, I'm dwowning!"

Amelia then, now that she was on a roll, decided to once again bring up the picture of the cover of 'The Miracle'. "This, by the way, is what people look like where I'm from, except for the fact that we're obviously not merged together."

_Silence_

"_Amelia, this is amazing, you've actually rendered the Colonel speechless! I'm definitely bringing you along when I'm delivering my reports!" _Ed whispered.

Hawkeye stifled a light chuckle at that, while Mustang seemed to gather himself. "Fine. But why are you travelling with the Elrics?"

"Because we have the same goal, I want to regain my legs, Timothy's memories and our old life. We want to go home to the little remainder of our family."

"What do you mean by memories?"

"I lost all my memories that don't involve Amelia," Timothy said quietly, swinging his short legs shyly on his chair.

Hawkeye felt a slight pang at that. She heard the pain and confusion it brought the little boy. She started wondering how much of his life he had lost. How big gaps he must have in his memories. She felt a sort of lurch in her stomach when she realised that he would have forgotten what it would have felt like to sleep, and he wouldn't remember any dreams from his entire life.

Amelia squeezed her little brother's shoulder with her left arm. Hawkeye could tell that this was another pair of siblings that were about as close as the Elrics. She smiled inwardly.

"So, Fullmetal, what happened in Liore?"

"We came, this fake priest called Father Cornello was conning the townspeople with miracles that were really just done by a phoney Philosopher's Stone. He was planning on building an army of believers, and slowly taking over the country. We exposed what that fraud was up to, and that's that."

"So, how come you got that injury, Miss Hartwood?"

"I may have pissed Father Cornello off to the same degree as Ed here did."

"I somehow find that hard to believe."

"I shouted about how he needed a psychiatrist, tried to torture him with bellowing nursery rhymes and in order to discredit him completely, and I played 'Highway to Hell' on the church's loudspeakers for the whole town to hear."

"That is actually quite impressive."

"So he decided to stab me to death with a spike that was protruding from his arm after the transmutation rebounded. Apparently he was just as pleased with killing me as he would have been wit Ed. He would have killed me had I not turned around when I did. I was lucky it was just my shoulder." Then Amelia did something surprising: she laughed.

"Miss Hartwood?"

"I'm sorry, but it is kind of funny that two kinds of fathers have tried to kill me within the last two months."

"Two?"

"Our father tried to shoot me after we escaped when he kidnapped us."

"Why did he kidnap you in the first place?"

"Well, he killed his assistant and our mother, and then we found proof that he did it. He didn't want to kill us though, not really, I think. He was a very desperate and deranged man. He did manage to shoot me in the arm, though." She turned around, showing them the scar above her left elbow.

Once again Riza felt her stomach clench. The fact that Amelia didn't seem too fazed by the whole ordeal, gave her a feeling that she had a very distant relationship to her parents. It made sense now why the two siblings seemed so close, Amelia had probably raised her little brother from a very early age.

Mustang suddenly decided to break the tense silence that followed. "So, Liore was another false lead."

"You're damn right it was."

"Is there something you need?"

"What do you mean? Are you trying to make me owe you a favour?"

"No, I'm repaying you for stopping the hi-jackers. I'd rather not owe you a favour."

"Well, in that case I would like to know more about bio-alchemy. Where can I go around here for more information? Like a library or an expert?"

"Right now? You sure are in a hurry..."

"My arm and leg aren't going to just grow back if I wait long enough!"

Mustang went over to the bookshelf, pulling out a stack of files. "Umm... I know it's here somewhere... here it is." He pulled out a specific file. "Chimera: an artificial fusion created by alchemically 'marrying' two genetically dissimilar life forms. In other words, there's a chimera researcher in this city."

He turned towards the four of them, still reading the file.

"Shou Tucker, the 'Sewing-Life Alchemist'."

* * *

**Yes, the next one will be _that _****chapter.**

**I hope to upload in the next few days.**

**As I said before, reviews are always welcome, and if someone wishes for me to tweak the story a bit or add a thing or two, just PM me, I find reviews very inspiring.**

**Hope you liked this chapter!**

**(BTW, as I was reading the scene where Ed was sending customers and food flying, I saw there was a small drawing of a squid in there as well, and I was so sorely tempted to have that one flying in Amelia's face, but in the end, I decided against it.)**


	3. Chapter 3: Chimeras and Kamikaze-Rolling

**So, here we are, chapter three. **

**First, I would just like to thank the wonderful people that are following and/or have favourited this story!**

**Warnings: Tucker, some language, and Amelia gives a very basic explanation of Christianity, so please don't be offended, it's just a part of her character.**

**Disclaimer: only the proud owner of a complete manga box set, and of course the OCs are mine.**

* * *

**Chapter three**

**Chimeras and Kamikaze-Rolling**

The five of them were sitting rather squashed inside the back seats of a car, Ed and Al on one side, Timothy, Amelia and Mustang on the other. Mustang was slightly uncomfortable with the cramped space, but at least he wasn't sitting next to a large, spiked suit of armour.

Timothy was sitting between the tall stranger with the slightly unnerving black eyes, and Amelia. He had a feeling that this man was not someone you would like to cross, especially with how he had treated the criminal at the train station. He was hard to get a read on, he didn't let on much, and he didn't seem to smile very often. _Why is everyone here so weird? I thought Amelia was a bit unusual, but she's got nothing on these people._

He was wondering if he was allowed to look at the file Mustang was holding, but decided against it. He focused instead on the Elrics, and Alphonse gave him a sympathetic _clank_.

"He got his State Alchemist's certification two years ago when he created a chimera that could speak," Mustang read aloud.

"It could **speak? **You mean it talked like a human? A **chimera?!**" Ed exclaimed.

"That would appear to be the case. I wasn't in charge at the time, so I've never actually seen it. It could understand human speech, and it spoke... But all it said was... '_I want to die'_."

The Elrics were staring at him in horror and confusion.

"After that it refused to eat and died not long after."

Timothy felt a shiver running down his spine at those words. Why would anyone create something where that is all it wanted? Why would this be useful to the Military?

They parked in front of a giant house. "Well, anyway, let's go meet him and see what kind of person he is," Mustang said.

After getting Amelia settled in her wheelchair, the five of them went for the doorbell. And it was literally a bell. With a piece of rope dangling from it. Mustang rang it, and suddenly there came a rustling from behind Ed and Timothy.

An enormous white dog came flying through the air, Ed screamed in fright and instinctively tried to shield Timothy with his body, but ended up effectively pinning Timothy underneath himself while the dog landed on top of them.

The dog panted happily, obviously pleased with his catch of the day. Timothy was moaning and groaning as he lay on his stomach with all the extra weight on his back. "Timothy, you okay?" Ed asked.

"Can't breathe!" He gasped.

"Wow, Daddy! Lots of guests!" A small girl exclaimed from the front door.

"Nina, I **told **you to keep the dog tied up," a man said, running over to the two small boys, dragging the dog off them and apologising profusely.

Ed helped brushing the dust off of Timothy. The young boy was not looking as good as he could have done. He had small cuts and scrapes on his hands, the skin on his chin had been broken on impact and a small trickle of blood was oozing from the cut. He was also rubbing his shoulder gingerly from where Ed's automail had hit it, he'd probably have a big bruise there tomorrow.

"Oh, my, that doesn't look too good. I'd better go find the first-aid kit," the man said.

They discovered he had some broken skin on his knees as well, and after four band-aids and a couple of bandages for his hands and chin too, they sat down in the living room, a cup of tea in front of each of them, which was especially appreciated by the two Brits.

"Nice to meet you, Edward. I'm Shou Tucker. The one they call the 'Sewing-Life Alchemist.'"

"Edward's interested in biological alchemy. I told him you might be able to show him your research," Mustang said.

"Oh, I don't mind... But if you want to see what's up my sleeve, first you have to show me what's up yours. Alchemy is about 'Equivalent Exchange'."

Amelia thought this was an odd way to think, and especially phrase it, but maybe she was just not used to this strange new world.

"So, why are you interested in biological transmutation?"

"Um... Well, he's..." Mustang began, but he was interrupted by Ed.

"Colonel. Mr. Tucker has a right to an answer," Ed said as he removed his black jacket, exposing his automail arm.

"... So... that's why you're called the 'Fullmetal' Alchemist'."

* * *

"I see, so you lost your mother... That must have been hard." Ed and Al looked down to the floor at his words.

"I've told my superiors that he lost his limbs in the civil war in the East. I must ask you to keep quiet about his attempts at human transmutation," Mustang said.

"Sure. No problem. I'm sure the Military couldn't afford to lose such a brilliant individual." Tucker turned towards Amelia, "Is that why you're with them too? I couldn't help but notice how your legs seem to end at the exact same spot."

"No, I didn't... but I'd rather not explain it if you don't mind." Amelia felt that it was somehow dangerous to tell too many people about her and Timothy, and she didn't like Tucker's voice. It made it hard to trust him.

"Very well then... Let me show you my laboratory, although I'm not sure if it will be much help to you."

They followed Tucker through a long hall and they suddenly found themselves inside a lab filled with all types of chimeras. Amelia noticed that Timothy had turned pale at the sight of these animals, "Mr. Tucker, I think that Timothy would have more fun spending time with Nina, than looking through this research."

"Oh, yes of course, I should have thought about that before, would you like me to help you find her?" Tucker asked Timothy.

The small boy nodded.

Tucker returned two minutes later. "Nina was so pleased to have a playmate, you have a very kind little brother, Amelia."

"Yes, I'm very proud of him."

She understood Timothy perfectly, she found this research sickening too. Although Timothy may not have thought about it, at least not yet, Tucker was essentially killing animals for a living. When he created a chimera, he made one creature from two or more, which meant that either one of the original animals died, or they were merged together which would surely make its instincts run haywire. There was also the possibility that he made another thing altogether and killed two animals in order to create this sorry creature. In her mind, this made him a very twisted man, because this surely had to be animal cruelty. Amelia had no respect for men like him. She felt so sorry for these creatures, they were even stuffed into tiny cages. She was the type of person that valued animals and people equally, and these were innocent creatures. She thought back to what Ed and Al had told her about 'all is one and one is all'. This couldn't possibly follow these laws, because what was the purpose of creating these? One thing is the food chain, Amelia had no problem eating meat, but this? This was monstrous. She longed to hit Tucker, _repeatedly_, but she couldn't do that to Ed and Al. they needed every lead they could find on getting their bodies back. She was very glad she had withheld her trust, because this was a man she could hardly stand to be around. If they found an answer to regain their limbs here, she wasn't sure she would do it, just because it was associated with Tucker's research.

"Are you alright, Miss Hartwood?" Mustang asked, he too had not ventured very far into the lab, and was probably noticing how pale she was, and the fact that her left hand was clenched around her armrest.

"Yes... My-my shoulder's aching, that's all. I think I just need some air."

Ed was eyeing her suspiciously. "Here, I'll take you," he said, walking behind her wheelchair and turning her around.

When they were out of earshot, Ed spoke up "Okay, what's wrong?"

"That man is a monster. He's playing with living creatures as though they aren't worth a thing. These are innocent animals, and he's killing them! How is this valuable to the Military? Why would they pay him to do this? It's animal cruelty and nothing more!"

"Amelia, I don't know why, but it may not be such a good idea to voice your opinions so loudly. I know it's sick. Just remember we're only here to find a way to regain our bodies, we don't have to agree with his way of thinking."

"Still, I'd like to see that man arrested."

"Maybe. Listen, would you like us to leave, we could check into a hotel and come back later."

So it was that obvious how freaked out she was by this? Ed was stubborn as _bleep _and here he was willing to put his research on hold in order to get her and Timothy away from this. She was sorely tempted to say 'yes', but she couldn't do that to Ed and Al.

"No, it's okay, would you just take me to Timothy and Nina?"

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I just don't want to be around that man."

"Okay."

They found Timothy and Nina in what had to be Nina's room. It had pink walls with a simple flower pattern. The two of them were sitting on the floor, drawing with crayons. Ed rolled her over to them. "Ed, would you mind putting me down on the floor?," she asked tentatively. She was very tired of having to ask for help, but she didn't have an option that wouldn't cause her a substantial amount of pain with her shoulder the way it was.

He lifted her down, and she thanked him. He left the room quickly after that, and Nina was absolutely thrilled to have even more friends to play with. She quickly got Amelia engaged in drawing, even though she was right-handed. It wasn't a particularly pretty dog that she drew, but she prided herself on the fact that at least you could call it a dog beyond a doubt. Alexander was of course also with them, And Timothy was positively enthralled by his cuddly attitude and soft fur. After a few hours, Al came to the room.

"How are you three doing?"

"It's so fun! Big Sister Amelia taught me how to draw a dog!" Nina exclaimed.

It took two minutes of four-year-old charm, and then Nina was playing 'Horsy' on Al's shoulders. The four of them were having a great time, and two hours passed before Ed came looking for them. He stood in the doorway, watching disbelievingly as Al was jumping up and down with Nina on his left shoulder, holding onto a spike, while Timothy was doing the same on his right. Amelia was laughing at the excited faces the two kids were making.

"AL! We're supposed to be working!"

"I just thought that Nina might like some more playmates..."

At that moment, Alexander came flying through the air, landing on Ed's back, before licking his ear.

"Look! Alexander wants to play too!" Nina laughed.

Amelia started guffawing, she quickly stopped however when the dog interpreted her laughter as an invitation for him to jump on her next. "OW! OW! OW! No! Get off!" Ed started calling the enormous dog back to him in order to get him off Amelia's bad shoulder. Of course Alexander jumped on him again, but this time, Ed was not having any more of it. He started chasing the dog, bellowing "_**JUST TRY TO SIT ON ME AGAIN, YOU CANINE FIEND! I, EDWARD ELRIC, WILL FIGHT YOU WITH MY ENTIRE BODY AND SOUL!**_"

* * *

Timothy and Nina were still perched on Al's shoulders, and Amelia was still sitting on the floor fifteen minutes later. Ed however, was lying on his stomach next to her, while Alexander was panting happily on top of his back. Amelia was instinctively scratching the happy dog behind the ear, her mind elsewhere. That was when a uniformed man with a cigarette in his mouth came in through the door. "Hey Chief, I'm here to pick you up... Mind if I ask what you're doing?"

Ed got out from under the dog. He stood up and cleared his throat. "Uh, well... I guess you could say I'm taking a little break from my research."

"Did you find anything useful?" Tucker asked from behind the soldier. Ed didn't need to answer. "... Don't worry, you can come back tomorrow."

"Are you really gonna come back?" Nina asked Al, Timothy and Amelia.

"Uh-huh, let's play again tomorrow," Al said. Timothy and Amelia nodded with a smile.

Alphonse lifted Amelia up into the wheelchair, and as they passed through the front door, Havoc called to Tucker "Oh, Mr. Tucker, I have a message from the Colonel. He said 'please don't forget that the assessment date is coming up.'"

"... Yes, I know."

* * *

"Hmm... So your mom left two years ago..." Al said. It was a few days later, and the five of them were sitting in the library, Amelia had a 1500 piece jigsaw that they had bought two days ago, Timothy was scratching Alexander along with Nina, and the two Elrics were reading.

"Uh-huh. Daddy said she went back to her parents' house," Nina answered.

"Really? It must be lonely living in a big house like this with just the two of you."

"No, it's not! Daddy's nice to me, and I have Alexander too! ... But... Lately Daddy's always in his laboratory with the door locked... So it's a little lonely."

Ed started cracking his neck and shoulders. "Ahh, Man... All this reading is making my shoulders cramp up. Day after day..."

"Exercise is the best cure for shoulder cramps, Big Brother," Al said.

"You're right. I guess I'll go work out a little in the yard." Ed straightened up and pointed his finger sternly at Alexander. "**HEY, DOG! I'LL PLAY WITH YOU FOR EXERCISE!" **

Al lifted Amelia up into her wheelchair, it had become a sort of automatic thing by now. He got ready to push her outside, and he turned to Nina. "Come on, Nina. You too."

They had a really fun time in the backyard, Ed chased Nina while she was

Riding on Alexander's back, or she rode Amelia's wheelchair with her as Ed pushed while he ran around. Nina also used Al's back as a slide, and Ed and Timothy were jumped on by Alexander a fair few times. The four of them became really good friends with Nina really quickly.

* * *

Amelia's stumps were aching. It was the next day, and as Al was ringing the doorbell, Ed commented "It's gonna rain for sure today." Thunder was rumbling in the distance. No-one answered the door, so they let themselves in. They were searching through the house, calling after the house's two human occupants. They came to a dark room where they finally found Tucker.

"Hey, there you are," Ed said.

"Oh, it's you guys," Tucker said. They could make out a pair of eyes beside him in the dim light. "Look, it's my newest creation." He stood up, and as Ed opened the door fully, the light fell upon the form of a chimera with white fur and long, brown hair running down its back. "It's a chimera that talks like a human." He sat down in front of the creature "Watch this. This person is Edward. Understand?"

"**Ed... ward?**" It said, looking up at Ed.

"That's right. Very good," Tucker said, patting its head.

"**Veh... ree... good?**"

Ed was astounded. Amelia and Timothy were surprised, but Amelia also felt really sorry for it. _Another life lost._

"I can't believe it. It really talks..." Ed said.

"Uh-huh. I'm glad that I made it in time for the assessment."

Ed crouched down in front of the chimera. Tucker kept talking about how it saved his neck.

"**Ed-ward. Ed-ward. Ed... ward. Ed-ward.**" A pause. "**Big... bruh... ther...**"

Ed froze at the same time as Amelia. Timothy and Al hadn't noticed anything. Amelia couldn't breathe, she knew Ed was talking, but all she could focus on was the enormous knot that her organs had turned into. _...No... He couldn't... He didn't... _Tears were flowing down her cheeks as she looked at the poor creature. Now that she saw it, she knew there was nothing else it could be.

"_**What happened to Nina and Alexander?**_" Ed demanded, glaring at Tucker.

Al and Timothy gasped.

"I hate perceptive brats like you."

Timothy ran out of the room, retching noises could be heard from down the hallway. Amelia was outright sobbing, and it didn't help that the poor creature was trying to comfort her.

Ed had grabbed Tucker by his shirt and slammed him against the wall. "_**SO THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED! YOU SCUM... HOW COULD YOU!? TWO YEARS AGO IT WAS YOUR WIFE! THIS TIME YOU MADE A CHIMERA OUT OF YOUR OWN DAUGHTER AND A DOG! Isn't that right? Because there's only so much you can do by experimenting on animals. Humans are SO MUCH better. AM I RIGHT?**_

"Nnh... Why are you so mad? The progress of medicine... The progress of human knowledge... Is the _**result **_of experimenting on humans. Someone has to do it. As a scientist... You should be the first to..."

"_**SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! Do you think you're going to get away with this? Playing around with people's LIVES?!"**_

"People's lives? _**Ha ha! **_Yes, people's _**lives! **_You're the _**Fullmetal Alchemist! **_You mean like your _**brother's **_life... And your _**arm? That's also the result of 'playing around with people's lives,' yes?**_"

Ed smashed his automail fist in Tucker's face.

Tucker just laughed. "You and I are just the same!"

"_**THAT'S NOT TRUE!**_"

"You're no different than _**I **_am! You thought you could do it, so you _**did!**_"

"_**THAT'S NOT TRUE!**_"

"You couldn't help but try it even if it _**was **_forbidden! In fact, _**because **_it's forbidden!"

WHAM

"_**THAT'S NOT TRUE!**_"

SLAM

"_**WE ALCHEMISTS...**_"

WHAM

"_**WOULD NEVER DO THAT... WE'D NEVER...**_"

He brought his fist back for a devastating blow.

"_**I'D NEVER...!**_"

Alphonse caught his fist. "Edward. Any more and you'll kill him."

Ed slowly lowered his fist. He then let Tucker slump to the floor.

"Ha ha... Pretty words don't get anything done..." Tucker said.

"Mr. Tucker," Alphonse began "_**If you say one more word, this time I'll be the one to snap.**_"

Amelia was still crying heavily. She felt utterly strangled by the horror she was witnessing. She had felt absolutely nothing when watching Ed beat Tucker up. Her insides were hurting, she was hardly able to see a thing around her because of her tears.

Alphonse kneeled down in front of the chimera. "Nina... I'm sorry. We don't have the skill right now to turn you back to normal. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Amelia banged her left arm into her armrest.

"**Wanna... ...Play. Wan-na play. Wan-na play.**"

* * *

_Next morning_

Edward was sitting up in bed, panting. He had once again had a nightmare. It had started with him running towards his mum, a newly transmuted gift held in his head. His mother had praised him, called him special for being able to create something like that, and then...

_But it's too bad you couldn't put me back together too._

He curled his right leg, leaning his chest on his automail one, _It hurts..._

"Edward?"

He was momentarily startled, mostly because if he had expected someone to say his name after he clearly had had a nightmare, it would be Al, not Timothy.

He straightened his legs out, looking towards the bed to the left of him. The four of them were sharing a large hotel room, seeing as how Amelia wouldn't be able to get in and out of bed without someone lifting her. She already had to crawl around the bathroom, she really didn't need to do more crawling than necessary. Also, even though Timothy was more than willing to help her, he really lacked the strength and height to be of much use. Al had decided to spend the night in the lobby, Nina's fate had really bothered the poor guy, and he just wanted to be alone.

"Are you okay, Ed?" Timothy asked. He was sitting up in the bed. Amelia was occupying the other bed at the other end of the room. That way they could maintain at least a slight amount of privacy.

"Yeah."

"Were you having a nightmare?"

He nodded once. He found it embarrassing that he was having them when he was so old. Especially when he was reacting so badly to them.

"What's it like?"

"What do you mean?" Ed found the question surprising.

"I can't remember what it's like, just telling Amelia about them afterwards."

"Oh."

"I'm... I'm scared to sleep because of that. I don't know what it'll be like."

"But you have slept during the last two weeks."

"Yes, but not very well."

"Well, you need to sleep, and you just need to remember that they can't hurt you, not really."

"Okay. Amelia told me that she has managed to halfway teach herself to wake up from nightmares, but I don't know how she does it."

"I'd like to learn that too, do you think she gives lessons?" Ed smiled a bit.

"I think she's just being Amelia, so no." He returned the smile. "She can be a bit weird you know."

"Yeah." He thought about the whole 'Jimmy'-thing from Liore. "Do you know why she keeps insisting on not only saving you, but me and Al too?"

"It's funny, I think she's got this unspoken rule that she, as the oldest person in our group, is sort of responsible for the rest of us, no matter how little experience she has."

"Yeah, I think you may be right."

"I'm sorry if she's too much trouble."

"As long as she doesn't get herself killed for us, I think I'm just going to have to learn to live with it."

"Probably wise. She can be incredibly stubborn. Like **really **stubborn."

"I'm not surprised after seeing her at the church."

"You know, she's not usually that crazy?"

"I sort of figured that out."

"She's just been under a lot of stress."

"Yeah. And you, Timothy, how are you dealing with all of this?"

"It's weird, I don't really know, because I'm really unsure about how my life was before."

"That can't be easy."

"I don't really know how to describe it. Mostly it just feels empty, because my mind keeps telling me '_there's something about this_', but I can't remember what that something is. It's kind of funny, only remembering the parts with Amelia, because there are so many gaps in my memory. It's like knowing every third word of a song. You get the general idea, but you're missing so much of it that you don't really know what it's all about."

"I'm sorry."

"I guess it's okay, though, I mean, Amelia's going through a lot of pain, and it has taken so much from her, losing her legs. When I look at what happened to you and Al, I think I got lucky."

"Maybe..."

"But it's also left me so scared. Amelia is always the one I've gone to after I've been scared, but that means that I don't really know what it's like anymore. I've only been **really **scared since I got here, I don't really know what it's like in any other form. And so much is new. I didn't even know how to buy clothes anymore."

"Well, you'll get back to normal someday."

"Yeah."

"Ed?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you bring us along?"

Ed heaved a great sigh "Because I'm an older brother."

"Oh, okay I guess." Timothy didn't really know what he meant by that, but it seemed like it was something he would like to figure out on his own. "Well, thanks for your help."

"You're welcome."

"Hey, Ed?" Timothy was twiddling his thumbs. He had obviously been thinking about this for a while.

"Yes?"

"Is it okay that I'm scared of going home?"

"What do you mean?"

"I have no parents to speak of, except for a father in prison that I don't think I can bear to meet again. We're about to move in with our great aunt that I only half-remember. I've forgotten about seventy per cent of what I've learnt at school. And I hardly even remember my best friends. What do I tell them? I've hardly got a connection to my home world except for Amelia, but she's here, so... Would it be easier if we just stayed?"

"Maybe you should discuss this with Amelia, after all she knows much more about your life than I do. If you want to go, I won't stop you, but nor would I if you really wanted to stay. It's your business after all."

"Okay, thank you."

"Sure."

* * *

It was still quite early when Amelia woke. She had a bit of a trouble placing where she actually was. Then she remembered. She remembered everything about the previous day, she remembered Nina. She felt a tear beginning to form at the corner of her eye just at the thought of what that girl had been reduced to. The tears started flowing freely down her cheeks, she couldn't stop them. She usually wasn't this sensitive about death. She actually had a practical attitude towards it. She had hardly cried when her mother died. But this, and the fact that she was technically still alive, it hurt her so much. The sounds of her 'wanna play' echoing through her mind. Nina and Alexander had been the only things that had made her able to even be inside that building, and now she felt so angry with herself. Would things have been different if she had just voiced her opinions of the man? If she had told people how little respect he obviously had for living things, would it have made them pick up on something vital before it was too late? _No, not even the prodigy Edward Elric picked up on it before me, and he's got a lot more knowledge of alchemy than I do. There's no point blaming myself for what that bastard did. I just wish we could have done something for her. And I want to see that man behind bars!_

"Ed! I need to know what's going to happen to Tucker!" she proclaimed, startling the two boys at the other side of the room.

"What the _heck_? What happened to 'good morning'?!"

She had obviously misinterpreted the situation, she had thought they had been silent because they saw she was crying, not because they hadn't noticed her sitting up.

"Sorry, I thought you saw me."

Ed just grunted. "What do you mean by wanting to know about Tucker?"

"I need to know that that _bastard _is going to be put away for what he did."

"Actually, I'd like to check up on that myself."

"I-I'd like to stay here... I can't deal with any more of that right now." Timothy had spoken very softly.

"Of course, Timothy, are you sure you'll be fine on your own?" Amelia asked, worried.

"Do you think that maybe Al would stay behind with me?"

"I'll ask him." Ed said.

* * *

Amelia and Ed were standing/sitting outside of Mustang's office. They were lingering outside the door, not really wanting to knock, but also wanting answers. Ed was ready to turn around, when the office door opened.

"Oh... First Lieutenant Hawkeye."

"What are you two doing here so early?" she asked in a very kind voice.

"Uh... Um... We wanted to know what's going to happen to Tucker and Nina?"

Hawkeye paused for a second. "Tucker was scheduled to have his license revoked and then taken to Central to be put on trial... But they both died."

Ed and Amelia froze as Hawkeye kept talking. "Or to put it more accurately, they were killed. You guys would have found out eventually, even if we tried to hide it, so I might as well tell you now."

Ed started walking briskly behind her, "What... Why...? _**By who!?**_"

"I don't know. I'm on my way to the location right now."

"_**I'm coming too!**_"

"No."

"_**Why not!?**_"

She turned towards him. "It's better that you don't see."

Ed looked at her, frightened. He then turned back and walked towards Amelia. He felt bad about forgetting her like that. She was looking just as shocked as him, and when he came within earshot, she spoke abruptly, sounding like she was almost crying.

"I need to get out of here, now! I don't want to cry for everyone to see. I'm not sure how long I can keep it in. _Please, let's just leave."_

* * *

They had stopped in front of a clock tower, neither of them ready to return to the hotel, neither wanting, or knowing how to tell Timothy and Al about Nina.

Amelia had tears streaming down her cheeks, though hidden by the rain. Neither of them cared that they were soaking wet. They hadn't said anything for the last fifteen minutes.

"Edward...?"

"Huh? Oh... My head is just so full that I don't know what to think right now. Since last night I've been wondering what this alchemy that we trust in really is... _'Alchemy is the reconstruction of matter in new forms based on the knowledge of natural laws. This world flows by obeying these laws. Death, too, is a part of that flow. Accept the flow of the world.' _Our teacher really beat that into us... I thought I knew what she meant. But I didn't. That's why Mom... And that's why I'm wondering what I can do about something that nobody can fix." He brought his knees up to his chest. "I'm a fool. I haven't grown up at all since then. I thought the rain would wash away my doubt... but all I know is that this rain on my face is starting to bug me..."

Amelia didn't know what to say.

"EDWARD!" A stranger in a Military uniform came running towards them. "MR. EDWARD ELRIC! Oh, I'm so glad you're alright! We've been looking for you!"

Ed had risen up in order to talk to the MP, failing to notice the tall stranger that had taken an interest as Ed's name was being shouted out. "What is it? Do you need me for something?"

"You're to return to headquarters immediately. There's a killer on the loose in this area..."

"Edward Elric..." the tall stranger said. "_**THE FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST!**_"

The MP reacted instantly "**! That scar!**"

Ed knew what would happen before it did, "_**NO!**_"

Amelia watched as Ed stood frozen to the spot, before the clock behind them struck nine, and the 'gong' made him snap out of it. "EDWARD! RUN!" Amelia shouted to him, and he did. He ran down the street, which was really just a steep hill.

Amelia watched horror-stricken as Ed ran, closely followed by his pursuer. Ed ran into a side street, quickly transmuting a wall behind him. The stranger put his right hand to it, and it exploded. He put his hand to one of the walls to the street, and the explosion told Amelia that Ed's escape route had been cut off. A few seconds of quiet and a small blue flash. Suddenly Ed came flying onto the main street. He sat up and threw off his jacket before running at his opponent once again, his newly transmuted automail arm ready for the attack.

When the stranger destroyed Ed's automail arm, sending him flying backwards, Amelia panicked. Without thinking, she threw off her sling, ignoring the pain in her shoulder in favour of the adrenaline coursing through her veins. She rolled her wheelchair onto the top of the hill, calculating where the stranger was going to be. He was advancing slowly, Ed was looking disoriented, _maybe he hit his head? _Amelia set her course for where she guessed his legs would be in the next seven seconds. Then she rolled herself forward until the steep hill did the work for her. Her first thought as the wheelchair picked up speed was '_Stay away, you bastard!_' Although it quickly changed to '_Why am I doing this?_" And for the last two seconds when she realised she was going to crash, everything that went through her mind was '_Crap-crap-crapcrapcrapcrapCRAAAP!_'

CRASH

Amelia had hit her target head-on, and she flew slightly upwards, banging her face against the attacker's right shoulder blade, slamming her bad shoulder into his right arm while letting out a yelp of pain. They fell to the ground, and Amelia managed to plant her face in some of the broken automail parts, creating a large cut on her forehead and splitting her lip.

"AMELIA! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Uuurgh."

The stranger stood up, heading for Ed again. Amelia, quite desperate by now and spitting out blood, turned surprisingly quickly on her stomach and latched onto the man's legs.

He did not seem to expect this and he fell to the ground, breaking his sunglasses at the same time. He kicked out at her, earning a whimper as his right foot connected with where she was already sore from having crashed into his shoulder blade. She let go and the man stood up. "Foolish girl. I do not have any quarrel with you, but I will eliminate those that interfere with my mission."

"**YOU LEAVE HER OUT OF THIS!**" Ed shouted, getting up to attack once again.

_BLAM!_

"**That's enough!**"

Amelia had never been happier to see Mustang, and she doubted Ed had been either**. **She let her upper body drop to the ground. She was aching all over, and she had, along with her previous injuries, added a large gash on her cheek from where their attacker's boot had connected with her upper jaw. She probably looked rather terrible, and she felt so, too. She noticed black spots appearing at the corners of her eyes, and she welcomed them as they grew larger and larger as she drifted off into unconsciousness.

* * *

For the third time in a fortnight, Amelia found herself waking up in a hospital bed without actually remembering getting in it. Her shoulder, head and face hurt. She opened her eyes sluggishly. There were a few more people present this time compared to the last two. After a few more seconds, she was able to identify Timothy, Ed, Al, Hughes, Hawkeye, Mustang and... Major Armstrong. The enormous man was sparkling, tears running down his face and he held a large bouquet of roses in his hands.

"OH MISS HARTWOOD! YOU HAD US SO DESPERATELY WORRIED. YOUR NOBLE HEART IS AN INSPIRATION TO US ALL!" Amelia felt herself blush while also growing terrified of being subjected to 'the art of hugging that has been passed down the Armstrong line for GENERATIONS.'

"Hey," she said weakly to the room at large.

"How are you?" Timothy asked slowly, eyeing her with a look of slight horror.

"In pain, but I'm getting used to it."

"That is by far, the _stupidest _thing you've ever done! What the hell were you thinking?!" Ed said, a look of anger mixed with relief. She saw that he had a bandage around his head, and he was looking tired.

"I guess I wasn't. I just couldn't stand idly by while you were getting closer and closer to being exploded from the inside out like that MP!"

"But still!"

"I didn't really have a lot of options, I was sort of stuck in that wheelchair!"

"Which is an even better reason for you to stay put!"

"You've already saved my life twice, I thought it was about time I returned the favour!"

"You won't do that by dying! He was going to kill you!"

"Well, he was going to kill you too, and I didn't move before you hit your head! You were unsteady on your feet, so I was afraid you wouldn't be able to handle it if you had a concussion or something! I've already been the one to find my mother's dead body, I'm not about to do the same with anyone else!"

_Silence_.

"I-I didn't know about that. Sorry."

Amelia was a bit shocked by the metaphorical temperature drop in the room.

"It's okay, I didn't really have a close relationship with her." She sighed. "But, Ed. You made me and Timothy swear to not die when we joined you and Al. I think you should do the same."

"Fine, I swear."

"Good. Now why are you all looking at me like that?" She took in everybody's faces. They were looking shocked and sad.

"When was it that your mother died?" Hughes asked softly, radiating with fatherly hugging-instincts.

"About two months ago. My father killed her."

"Oh... I'm sorry."

Timothy was looking down, shuffling his feet. He had been a lot closer to their parents than Amelia ever had. She supposed they had just been much more pleased with how Timothy was than how she had turned out. _Not that they ever did much parenting themselves. _She carried a lot of bitterness towards them. _At least I had Auntie Gwendolyn. God, how I miss her._

"SUCH A TRAGIC STORY! YOU ARE INDEED STRONG MY DEAR HARTWOODS!" Armstrong wailed, throwing his arms around Timothy and lifting him up into the air. Apparently Amelia got off on the count that she was injured. Poor Timothy...

"Major, would you mind releasing him? He doesn't seem to be getting enough Oxygen."

"Oh, of course."

"By the way, where am I right now?"

"The infirmary at East HQ," Ed said.

"Oh. Did you catch that man?"

"No, he got away. We did however discover the reason behind his attacks, thanks to you," Hughes said with a smile.

"How?"

"You knocked his sunglasses off, and now we know he's an Ishbalan."

"A what?"

"You mean to tell me you've never heard about the Ishbalan civil war?" Armstrong said, perplexed.

"Uhm, no. Our parents weren't really good at keeping us up to speed when it came to the news," Amelia lied quickly.

"Ishbal is a small region in the East. The people there were very firm in their belief in their god, Ishbala. They were often at conflict with the neighbouring regions, but when an Amestrian soldier accidentally shot and killed an Ishbalan child thirteen years ago, it started a full-scale rebellion. After seven long years of this, the Fuhrer sent in the State Alchemists in order to wipe out the entire Ishbalan population. It was highly effective." It was Mustang who had spoken.

"How horrible," Amelia said. She was getting more and more wary of the Amestrian Military.

"The killer you encountered earlier today is an Ishbalan survivor, so in a sense his revenge is justified."

"Then why would he go after Ed? He was nine at the time!" He wanted to kill me too, and he killed that MP just because he was in the way! That's not justification, that's just a form of Crusade!"

"A what?"

"What do you mean? It's common knowledge! Christian soldiers slaughtering people because their religions differ."

"Christians?"

"Come on! It's only one of the world's biggest religions with over a billion followers! You know, Virgin Mary, Baby Jesus, God in heaven and whatnot!"

"Huh?" was the general reaction.

"The holy spirit? Jesus being crucified and returning from the dead after three days?"

_Silence_.

"The Bible?"

_More silence._

"Crap, I've just said something I shouldn't, haven't I?"

"Think so," Ed said.

"But what about public holidays? Christmas and Easter?"

"Never heard of them."

"But... But... _**Christmas**_...?" Amelia stammered.

"Nope."

"And you don't have a pink bunny walking on its hind legs leaving candy for children sometime during Spring?"

"That is certainly something that would be arrested," Mustang said.

"So no Santa Claus? No fat man dressed in red giving children who've been acting nice for the last year presents under a tree in the living room?"

"Is this commonplace for you?" Hughes asked.

"... It does sound kind of sketchy, come to think of it... And it really doesn't help that he delivers presents all over the world in one night with his sleigh which is being pulled by flying reindeer."

"And this is based on religion?"

"Well, that's mostly pagan. But it's also supposed to be about how the Son of God was born in a stable by a sixteen year old virgin, and three wise men and some shepherds followed this giant star that was supposed to be in the sky right above the building."

"And over a billion people believe in this?" Ed asked, incredulous.

"Yeah, basically."

"But that's crazy!"

"There's a reason why I said I was agnostic."

"I don't follow. How can you say over a billion people believe in a religion that nobody's heard about?" Hughes asked, confused.

"Uhm... That's a long story."

"Amelia? I think we can trust them," Timothy said to her. Amelia turned towards Ed and Al, and both of them gave a small nod telling them it was safe to continue.

"Ed, how much should we tell them?"

"They already know about me and Al, although I didn't tell them about the Portal of Truth."

"Okay, here we go..."

* * *

"A different world?" Hughes was still playing with the ringtones on her phone.

"HOW INCREDIBLY DISTRESSING FOR THE PAIR OF YOU! LET ME CONSOLE YOU IN THE FASHION THAT HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN THE ARMSTRONG LINE FOR GENERATIONS!"

Amelia didn't get away this time, and a loud yelp of pain because of her wounded shoulder was the only thing that made him release the two of them.

"Oh, hell! It's bleeding again!" Ed said.

"Again?" Amelia said, clutching her slowly reddening shoulder.

"I'll get the doctor back here," Hawkeye said.

"Yeah, you ripped the stitches when you hit Scar," Ed explained.

"No wonder it hurts so much."

"Yeah, no offence, but you look like crap."

"Now, Ed. That's hardly a way to talk to a lady," Hughes lectured him.

"Hey, it's okay, but it does make me wonder... Has anyone got a mirror?" Amelia asked.

Hughes fetched a handheld one from over by the sink. "Here."

"Oh, wow! Ed you're absolutely right. I look like I've been hit by a truck."

Amelia had a bandage wrapped around the top of her head. Her right cheek was bruised from top to bottom, a large bandage on her cheekbone. Her right eye was surrounded by a large purple-brown spot, and her lower lip was swollen with a cut on the left side. "I think I should stop being so reckless, otherwise people may start to think you guys are abusing me."

"Oh, no! I never thought about that, Brother! What do we say if somebody asks? I don't want people to think I'm a bully!" Al exclaimed.

"We tell them the truth. She got in the way of the State Alchemist-killer and got hurt in the process. That would save us from having to think up ridiculous lies, and seeing as how I am a State Alchemist, it won't be too hard to convince people."

The doctor returned, and after changing the bandaging on her shoulder and reprimanding Major Armstrong for over-exerting his patient among other things, Amelia was given the happy news that seeing as how it's only the skin on her head that had taken damage, she was cleared to leave the infirmary the next afternoon.

"Great, then we'll head for Resembool in two days," Ed announced.

"Why are we going there?" Amelia asked.

"Oh, that's right, you weren't awake for that part. I need to get my arm rebuilt from scratch, and for that I need to see my mechanic."

"Your childhood friend, Winry?"

"The one and the same."

"Okay, nice. I'm looking forward to meeting her, she sounds cool."

"Yeah, just don't make her mad, she carries wrenches with her everywhere."

"Wrenches?"

"It's a long story, but I guess you'll find out soon enough." Ed shivered slightly, subconsciously scratching the back of his head.

* * *

_Two days later…_

_Why him? Why on Earth did it have to be him? _

Amelia was terrified, absolutely terrified. All the time. The reason was sitting to her right. Major Alex Louis Armstrong had decided to guard the four of them, because apparently Alphonse wasn't enough. She was terrified simply because her shoulder was hardly any better, seeing as how she had managed to reopen her wound twice within the week it had been made in the first place. And she jumped slightly every time the Major started talking. It actually hurt quite a lot, but it had been treated properly. She had also got a new glass of painkillers, so her only problem was really the behemoth's mood swings.

Ed was sitting next to Al, and Timothy and Armstrong were sharing the bench across from them. Timothy was looking unusually small, and he made Ed look normal-sized, especially when joined by Amelia in her wheelchair which made her more than a foot shorter than Ed. So when you put Amelia between Alphonse and the Major, she felt unusually helpless and small. She was originally five-foot-five, but losing about two feet of her height (literally) had reduced her height by quite a lot. It stung a bit in fact, because she was technically quite a lot taller than Ed, but not so much now. Which was why neither of the Hartwoods made short jokes. Also, they were against bullying, and didn't find pleasure in making Ed angry. This may be why he actually took to them, most people always looked down on him because of his height, and here the two of them were shorter than him! So, yeah, she might tease him, but she was not going to be teasing him about something that was both a sore subject and completely out of his power to do something about.

"So we'll be there tomorrow morning?" Amelia asked Ed.

"Yeah."

"How do you do it? How on earth do you manage to just sit on those benches for days on end? They're torture!

"So they're more comfy in your world?"

"First of all, we have actual seats. With support for you, uhm... behind. That seemed like a way better sentence than what it ended up like in real life. But, basically, soft. Yummy for your butt and back."

"I can't believe you called it _yummy_."

"Hey! You'd think the same if you got to try it!"

"But _yummy_?"

"_Yes."_

"I want to try seats like that when I get my real body back!" Al said, cheerfully.

"Al, you and Timothy are by far the sweetest humans to ever walk this earth," Amelia chuckled.

"And what am I?" Ed demanded, feeling slightly left out.

"Do you really want to be known as 'sweet' Ed? I don't think you would hear the end of it back at HQ."

"Fair point."

"You're more bad-ass."

"Uh-huh? Cool." He tried to take advantage of the situation, and hear what she thought about some of the others as well. "What would you say about the Colonel?"

"He's hard to get a read on... Maybe I can give you an answer when I've talked to him some more."

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes?"

"Creepy-generous."

"No, he's out on the platform."

"Oh."

He came over to their window as Ed slid open the lower part of the glass.

"Hey," Hughes said, his hand raised in greeting.

"What is it?"

"The guys at Headquarters say they're too busy to come, so I came here instead to see you off... Oh yeah, I have a message from Roy."

"From the Colonel?"

"'_I won't allow you to die in my jurisdiction because it'd be a pain to clean up the mess. '_That's what he said."

"Fine, tell him, _'understood. I'd never die before you, Colonel, you fucking idiot.'_"

"HA HA HA! They say that the ruder you are, the luckier you are! In that case, you and Roy are gonna live forever!"

A whistle was heard, and Hughes lifted his right hand to his forehead in a salute. He winked at them. "Alright then, have a safe trip! Let me know if you're ever out in Central."

Ed and the Major saluted, and Amelia and Timothy, not quite sure about what they were supposed to do, saluted as well. Amelia had to do like Ed, and used her left hand.

Hughes smiled at the two Hartwoods. "There's no need to salute, you're just civilians, after all."

"Oh, okay."

"I hope to see you two soon too."

"Yes, I'm sure we'll meet again!"

* * *

"And what kind of place is this Resembool?" the Major asked.

"Just a quaint little town. There's nothing left for miles," Ed responded, an uninterested look upon his face. "Actually, everything got destroyed because of the civil war in the East. It might have been a bustling city if the Military had been more on top of things."

"You're making my ears hurt."

"That's good. Should I say some more?" His expression grew softer, a fond look on his face. "...It's really a quiet place. It's in the middle of nowhere, but it has a lot of things you can't get in the city... That's me and Al's hometown... Resembool."

"Sounds really lovely," Amelia said, thoughts lost in memories of Auntie Gwendolyn's house and the ten-minute walk to the nearest village. Her thought strayed to walking to the local market, Geoffrey, their great aunt's rather big poodle, walking at their side, tail swinging.

"You seem lost in thought, are you thinking of your own life from the other side of the Gate?" Armstrong asked.

"Yeah, before all this happened and Truth stole my legs, we used to stay with our great aunt Gwendolyn an her dog a few times a year. She's been more like a mother to me than my real one. I really miss her."

"Me too," Timothy added. "I want to see Geoffrey again."

"Who's that?" Al asked.

"Her dog."

"Sounds nice."

"He's great, and really cuddly."

"Well, Granny and Winry have a dog too, her name's Den."

"Cool!"

"Hey Ed?" Amelia asked.

"Yes?"

"I had an idea, do you think Truth can be classified as a serial killer? I mean, not everybody makes it back after they go through the Portal of Truth. And when they do, there has got to be those that aren't as lucky as us and die from blood loss."

"Never thought about it like that, but yeah, I think you're right."

"Somehow that makes it less terrifying, the moment you can actually classify it by our world's standards."

"Yeah, maybe."

"But crap, it was creepy. By the way, why do you call it a him? When I saw it, it had the shape of a woman."

"It was definitely male the one I met."

"Weird."

"Yeah..." He looked thoughtful.

Suddenly Armstrong squashed Timothy against the window as he leaned out of it, bellowing at a stranger walking past the train. "DR. MARCOH! Aren't you Dr. Marcoh!? It's Alex Louis Armstrong from Central!"

The man started running away from them terrified.

"Someone you know?" Ed asked.

"Yes... He's a skilled alchemist who was involved in the research department at Central. He was studying the use of alchemy for medical purposes, but he vanished during the civil war."

"Let's get off!"

"Hmh? Don't we get off at Resembool?"

"If he used to do that kind of research, then he might know something about biological transmutation too!"

The Major grabbed Amelia's wheelchair, and the five of them got off the train. None of them noticed the black-haired woman with the tattoo that had been listening to their every word...

* * *

They walked up to a couple of strangers. "Uh... Excuse me... we're looking for someone who just passed by..." Ed began, but Armstrong stepped up in front of him, a notebook in his hand "Ahem... Have you seen an elderly man who looks like this?" He was holding out a portrait he'd drawn of Marcoh.

Ed was eyeing him sceptically, sweat drops running down his face. "You're a good artist, Major..."

"It's the skill of portraiture that has been passed down the Armstrong family line for generations!"

_Ah, of course, that explains everything, and there came the sparkles as well..._

"Oh, that's Dr. Mauro!" One of the strangers answered.

"Sure, we know him!" said the other.

"Mauro?" said Armstrong.

"As you can see, this isn't the richest town in the world. Most people here can't afford doctors, but Dr. Mauro treats people for free."

"He's a good man!" The next group they talked to supplied.

"Yup. He treats patients that most doctors would say don't have a chance to survive!"

"When he treats you... it's like there's a flash of light and then you're healed!" A young woman told them.

"A flash of light..." Ed repeated.

"Yes, it must be alchemy." Armstrong said, even though they had already guessed that.

They were pointed towards a house where the front door was situated at the top of a staircase.

"I guess I'll have to wait here then..." Amelia said.

Armstrong simply lifted her up on his left shoulder, and Amelia felt slightly panicked.

"PLEASE, MAJOR, NO! THERE'S NO NEED!" she screamed, desperately clinging on to his arm that was still held upwards from the elbow in order to support her. Worst of all was the fact that his shoulder actually formed a rather big seat due to the size of his muscles and overall body.

"It is no problem, Miss! The art of carrying invalids has been passed down the Armstrong family line for generations!"

Amelia was slightly interrupted in her train of thought seeing as how she had gone cross-eyed from trying to focus on the sparkle that was floating an inch from her nose. _Wait... did he just say that? How is that a family trait?_

They walked up the stairs, Ed first then Armstrong and Amelia, while Al and Timothy brought up the rear.

"Apparently when the doctor disappeared, some top-secret research material disappeared too. It was rumoured that he stole it and ran... perhaps he thought we were sent here to bring him back," Armstrong mused.

Ed tentatively opened the door. "Hello there? Anybody..." a gun was pointed at his forehead "...HOME?"

Marcoh pulled the trigger, and Ed nearly didn't manage to dodge it. It skimmed the hair on Timothy's head, and he stood there frozen, most likely praising his lack of height.

"What did you come for?" Marcoh asked, trembling.

"Please calm down, Doctor," Armstrong said.

"Did you come to take me back!? I'll never go back to that place! I beg you! Let me go...!"

"No, that's not it. Please listen..."

"So you came to **kill **me and shut me up for good!?"

"First, if you could please lower your gun..."

"You can't fool me!"

"I SAID, PLEASE CALM DOWN," Armstrong declared, eyes completely black, while he, in lack of other objects to do so with, threw Amelia at Marcoh.

"HEY?!" she shouted as she flew through the air.

"AMELIA!" Timothy, Ed and Al shouted, sprinting forwards to assist her.

She slammed into Marcoh, a sharp spike of pain shooting through her shoulder. "Gah!" she exclaimed.

The three boys quickly got her off the dazed doctor, and helped her sit up, leaning against a table leg.

"Dammit, Major! Think before you act! What the **bleep** where you thinking?! Oh, crap, it's bleeding **again**!" Amelia said, glowering at the man, her left hand gripping her shoulder which was once again pulsating sharply with pain.

"I... uh... sorry."

"If it continues this way, it won't ever heal!"

Marcoh was sitting up on the floor, rubbing the back of his head. "Miss, are you injured?"

"Yeah. And, believe it or not, but these guys don't mean you any harm, we just wanted to ask you about something," she said through slightly gritted teeth.

"So, how are you injured?"

"I got stabbed with a sharpened metal tube about eight days ago. I managed to rip it open again three days ago, twice."

"How did you do this?" Marcoh asked, sitting on his knees, examining her shoulder.

"Well, I got the injury in the first place from pissing off a priest by bellowing nursery rhymes... Then I sort of intentionally crashed into a serial killer at high speed by rolling my wheelchair down a steep hill, and I sort of hit my shoulder into his arm. Then this _idiot_" she pointed her left thumb at Major Armstrong, "decided to hug the life out of me the same day."

"You got stabbed by a priest?!"

"Well, a fake priest, and we sort of exposed his evil plans to the public over the loudspeakers throughout the town, and I decided to just discredit him utterly and played a song called 'Highway to Hell' over the radio..."

"And you are how old?"

"16."

"You are way too young to be doing things like this. It is already way too much just with losing your legs at such a young age."

"Yeah, well, can't change what happened," she gritted her teeth in pain and winced as he felt where the wound began and came out on the other side.

"Can I ask how you lost them?"

"Car accident about two and a half weeks ago."

"So you've been hurt this much in such a short time?"

"Yes."

"That is truly horrible, you should take better care of yourself. Well, I think we should change these bandages, and you should just stay at home and take it easy for the next few weeks. And maybe a few painkillers." He stood up and went for his supplies. "Afterwards I can answer your questions."

* * *

"I couldn't stand it anymore... Having to obey their orders... dirtying my hands to research the things I did... And then seeing it used in the civil war to slaughter hundreds of thousands of people... It was an awful war... So many innocent people died... I couldn't make up for my actions if I paid for them for the rest of my life. But still I try to do what I can... That's why I work as a doctor in this place," Marcoh explained, seated at the end of the table. He kept throwing worried looks over at Timothy. It was evident that he thought these matters far from suited for someone so young to hear about.

"What were you researching before you left? What did you take with you...?" Armstrong asked.

"I was researching the Philosopher's Stone."

Everyone froze, Ed was sitting with his mouth slightly open, Timothy was confused. He had, after all, only been with them for a couple of weeks, and was not yet used to how awe-inspiring the concept was supposed to be, seeing as how it was part of the title of one of the Harry Potter books at home.

"I took the Stone and the research data," Marcoh continued.

"You have the Stone!?" Ed asked, shocked.

"Yeah." He went over to one of the many shelves in the room, picking up a glass vial with a weird, red liquid. "Here it is."

"'Stone'? It looks like a liquid..."

In answer, Marcoh simply uncorked the vial, pouring the contents onto the table. Everyone gasped disbelievingly.

"Huh?" Ed said as the liquid transformed into a pebble-like object on the table instead of running through the cracks. Ed and Amelia were of course prodding it with their fingers. Amelia just was like that. Come Autumn, she would usually during her veeeery few shopping trips when she needed new clothes, pat most of these modern furry jackets, just because she liked the feel of the soft fluffy substance.

"The Sage's Stone... The Stone of Heaven... The Great Elixir... The Red Tincture... The Fifth Element. Just as there are many names for the Philosopher's Stone, it seems that it might not be a stone at all," Marcoh continued. "But this is just something that was created for experimental purposes. It's an imperfect compound, and it's impossible to know when it will reach its limits a cease to work. But even so, compounds like these were secretly used throughout the civil war, and they were tremendously successful."

"Just like Cornello's perhaps..." Amelia said.

"Yeah, it ceased to work and disintegrated," Ed responded. "It may be imperfect... But the fact that you made it means that it must be possible to make the perfect stone someday, right?" Ed slammed his hand on the table excitedly, "Dr. Marcoh! Can you please show me your data?"

"What!?" Marcoh asked, shocked.

"What do you mean to do with such a thing? Major Armstrong, who **is **this child...?"

"He's a State Alchemist," Armstrong explained.

"This **boy?**" Marcoh held his forehead in his right hand. "He has a State License at his age...? He must have been lured by the promises of privilege and research money... How foolish! Do you know how many State Alchemists threw away their licenses after the war? I wasn't the only one who hated myself for being used as a weapon... But you still..."

Ed clenched his hand. "I know it was foolish! But I had to!" He gripped his right shoulder. "I have to achieve my goal... Even if it means sleeping on this bed of nails..."

* * *

_A few minutes later..._

"So... You committed the ultimate sin... I'm surprised that you were able to transmute a soul... If you have that kind of talent, you might even be able to create a complete Philosopher's Stone."

Ed lit up, leaning over the table "So then...!"

"But I can't allow you to see my data!"

"But why not?!"

"I've said everything I'm going to say. Getting your original body back... The Stone shouldn't be used for something so trite."

"**TRITE?!**"

"Doctor! Isn't that a little harsh...?" Armstrong asked.

Marcoh had his back to them. "No one will ever see my research. It's the work of the devil. And it can only lead straight to hell."

"_**I'VE ALREADY SEEN HELL!**_"

"...No."

He was getting ready to say something more, but Amelia thought there was something odd with what he had said, and she wanted answers. "Doctor. You work desperately in order to help save people, and you're ashamed of your actions during the war. You've come here to help save lives, you said so yourself. So, excuse me for asking, but how the _**bleep**_ can you call saving Al from the living hell he's trapped in 'trite'? If that is trite, how big does something have to be, for you to act? What is it that stops you saving a fourteen-year old kid's life?"

Marcoh didn't look her in the eye, he just walked away saying "...Please just leave..."

* * *

The group had been silent for the way back. Timothy seemed to be the only one interested in talking, mainly because he wanted to know more, because there was something he hadn't picked up on that was leaving the rest of the group in very low spirits. Only when they had reached the train station, did anyone open their mouth.

"Are you satisfied with how that turned out?" The Major asked Edward.

"Huh?"

"You couldn't look at the data, but you could have taken the Stone by force if you'd wanted to."

"Yeah... I wanted it so bad that I could taste it... But when I thought about the people we met on the way to Dr. Marcoh's house I decided that if I stole the thing he used to heal them, just to get my old body back... It would leave a bad taste in my mouth. I'll just think of a different way to get my old body back. Right?" He said the last part mostly to Alphonse.

"Uh-huh."

"So are **you **satisfied, Major? Don't you have to report Dr. Marcoh back to Central?"

"The person I met today was an ordinary town doctor named Mauro."

Everyone grinned. Then Ed sort of froze, a slightly disgusted frown upon his face.

"Amelia, Timothy, I'm sorry. I didn't think about how you felt about it."

"It's okay, I wouldn't have used it either, not that one. We don't even know how much energy it's got left or how much we would need. I would never feel fine if we used up the Stone, only not to succeed."

"Me too," Timothy said.

"Imagine if we were restoring my legs, and then it ran out of power halfway, so I'd just have my knees and a pool of blood." Amelia snorted at how stupid that situation would be.

"I don't think that's something to laugh about," Al said in a low voice.

"I'm sorry if that was offensive, I'm just used to joking about my health. Just last year I finally got over a couple of years with bad health caused by some extremely chronic migraines. Four migraine attacks a week was quite tiring, so finding the humour in the situation was a way of staying positive. I guess I'm just used to doing it with all sorts of health-related issues by now."

"HEY YOU!" came a voice from further down the platform.

"Dr. Marcoh...?" Ed asked.

He was holding a piece of paper. "This is the place where I hid my data. I wrote down the location. If you can look the truth in the face, then do it." He handed it to Ed. "Then you might be able to reach the truth that lies **within **the truth..." He shook his head. "...Never mind. I've said too much." He walked off, waving his hand "I'll pray for the day that you three can return to your original bodies."

Armstrong saluted, tears streaming down his cheeks, while Ed bowed and the rest of them gave a small wave.

"What does it say?" Amelia asked, highly curious.

"'National Central Library, first branch... Tim Marcoh...'" Ed read aloud.

"I see... 'If you want to hide a tree, place it in a forest...'" Armstrong said. "Their book collection is beyond compare. There must be millions of volumes."

"That's where I'll find clues about the Stone...!"

"Good job, Big Brother! We're on our way!" Al said cheerfully.

"Yeah!"

* * *

After another four-hour train journey, they reached the Resembool Station, and this time Al was the one to push Amelia's wheelchair, she had really stopped trusting Armstrong with it after he threw her at Marcoh. Al had luckily understood it without her saying a thing, and had jumped up before the Major had had a chance of proclaiming himself as wheelchair-pusher. _Maybe he's just worried that the Major will throw me again, instead of having read my look at the train... _Either way, the gesture was highly appreciated.

Timothy seemed very happy, he had always loved being out in the countryside. He had already said 'hello' to a couple of cows, and had his ear licked by one of them. He was really such an animal-lover.

They had been walking for about a quarter of an hour, when they reached a hill with a yellow house at the top. As they came over the hill, they met the smallest woman Amelia had ever seen. She was smoking a pipe, and when she saw the five of them walking over, she smiled broadly.

"Winry! Our regulars are here!"

* * *

**So, there we are. I credit the term "Kamikaze-rolling" entirely to my Mum. I just had to use it.**

**Please leave a review if you want to, I would love to know what people think of this story.**


	4. Chapter 4: Wrenches and Codes

**Here we are, chapter four!**

**Warnings: breakdowns and swearing**

**Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist is the property of Hiromu Arakawa, I only own my OCs.**

**And huge thanks to the seven people who have followed and/or favourited this story!**

* * *

**Chapter four**

**Wrenches and Codes**

"Hey! Granny Pinako, I'm gonna need your help again," Ed said with a smile.

The old lady looked expectantly at the new faces. "Oh, yeah, this is Timothy and Amelia Hartwood and Major Armstrong," Ed said, pointing at them as Den came over to say hello to Alphonse.

"Pinako Rockbell. Pleased to meet you," she said as she shook their hands. She stood before them, looking at the huge object of contrast that was the Major. "Is it just me, or since the last time I saw you, Ed... Have you gotten a lot **smaller**?"

Ed looked like a storm was brewing inside his head. He tensed up and spoke through gritted teeth. "Granny, you've got it wrong. You're supposed to say 'how big you've grown lately, Ed...'"

"But why would I say something so clearly untrue?"

"_**I'M STILL TALLER THAN YOU, YOU MINI-HAG!**_"

"_**WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, YOU LITTLE RUNT?!**_"

"_**YOU HEARD ME, GUPPY GEEZER!"**_

"_**CHIBI-CHUMP!**_"

"_**MICRO-MINI GRANNY!**_"

"_**HEY! ED!**_" came an unfamiliar voice, and the next second a wrench had come flying through the air, hitting Ed from behind and leaving a big bump and some blood on Ed's head. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO **CALL **ME BEFORE YOU COME IN FOR MAINTENANCE!"a blonde girl yelled from a balcony on the first floor.

"_**WINRY, YOU JERK! YOU COULDA KILLED ME!**_" Ed screamed back, clutching his sore head.

"Ah ha ha! WELCOME BACK!"

"Yeah right," Ed said, fuming.

Al was reacting like this was perfectly normal behaviour and sighed happily. "It's good to be back..."

"_What happened to hugging?" _Timothy whispered to Amelia.

"_Amestris happened_," Amelia whispered back.

"_I think I'm scared._"

"_That, my dear brother, is called common sense._"

Al got Amelia into the living room. Ed was already sitting down on the couch, and Winry was looking at the newcomers expectantly. Amelia held out her left hand, "Amelia Hartwood, and this is my little brother Timothy. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too, I'm Winry Rockbell."

"Amelia, Timothy, do you take tea or coffee?" Pinako asked them.

"Tea, with a couple of sugar lumps and a dash of milk if you've got it," the two of them said automatically at the same time.

A few minutes later Pinako came in with a tray with six mugs of steaming beverages. Ed picked up his cup, which was when Winry saw the state of his arm.

"WHAAAA?!"

"Yeah, sorry, it got broken," Ed said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"What do you **mean**, 'it got broken'?! That was my **masterpiece**! A state-of-the-art automail prosthetic. _Gah_! Just let me see the damage so I can fix it and get you out of here!"

"Yeah, when I said 'broken,' what I meant was 'smashed to bits.'"

Ed was soon drinking his coffee with blood running down his face and a wrench embedded on the top of his head.

"Does this have anything to do with why this girl is looking like she's been run over?"

Amelia felt all eyes turn to her. She wasn't looking much better than she had three days ago, although the swelling of her lip was almost gone. She still had a bandage on her forehead and cheek, and the sling was still there. Her bruises still looked quite bad, and had this sort of charming light-green tinge on their edges. "Uhm... well, it's a long story, but it's not really their fault..." Amelia said, trying not to be a part of Ed getting a concussion.

Winry plumped down into a chair, her legs crossed. "I'm all ears."

"Well, I kind of lost my legs two-and-half weeks ago, got stabbed in the shoulder by a priest eight days ago and crashed my wheelchair purposefully into the criminal that destroyed Ed's arm..."

"And how long have you known the boys?"

"Uh... Two-and-a-half weeks..."

"Are you trying to tell me that these idiots got you involved in their work, even though you have no training and you've got missing legs?" She turned to Al, who was the one that often acted the most like a grownup. "And you let her do this, Al?"

"Well... I wasn't there when she got hurt, she was with brother..."

"Edward!"

"Please don't hit him! I was being stupid!" Amelia pleaded as she saw Winry raising her wrench threateningly in the older Elric's direction. Amelia was still shocked by this blatant display of violence, and even though Ed did not seem to be sustaining any damage that lasted more than five minutes, which puzzled her greatly, she still didn't like to see him get hurt. In a sense she was glad that Al was in a suit of armour, because then she only had to watch one of them get injured.

"You better have a good excuse then!"

* * *

"2019? You're from 2019?" Winry said, trying to let it sink in.

"Yes."

"But how?"

"I don't know, the only theories are based on fiction. We have no clue, but we hope to be able to get back using the same way as Ed and Al when they get their bodies back. At the very least I hope to regain my legs."

"Well, then we need to begin with fixing Ed's automail," Pinako said.

Ed was soon sitting in something that was a mixture between a loose-fitting tank top and a T-shirt, plus his long shorts.

"I see. So, you're trying to get to Central as soon as possible to gather data on this 'Philosopher's Stone'?" Pinako asked him while comparing his legs.

"Yup. We're really in a rush."

"Hmm... After we rebuild the arm, your leg needs to be adjusted, too."

"Guess your growth's not completely stunted after all," Winry said teasingly.

"Oh, shut up!"

"Your old leg can still be used, but your arm has to be rebuilt from scratch so..." Pinako said.

"What? It's gonna take about a week?"

"Don't underestimate me. I'll have it for you in three days." She blew out smoke from her pipe.

Amelia was watching fascinated as Pinako simply pulled out Ed's leg, so that he only had a stump left, where, because of the nature of the automail port, it kind of looked like he had metal growing out of his thigh. For the few seconds where he sat without both his leg and his arm, he looked unusually helpless. It was odd for her to watch him just looking at this so casually. She was just so used to him having the automail there, she sort of thought he wasn't really missing his limbs. She wondered how he ever got used to it. She still had trouble believing her stumps were the only things left of her legs. She found it sort of creepy, yet intriguing how he just acted as though this was perfectly normal. He had noticed her staring.

"Something wrong, Amelia?"

"No, it's just odd for me to look at those automail ports, I just find them really fascinating. And there's just the fact that you seem so used to them. I don't know how to explain it, it's just... odd… for me to look at. I'm not even used to my stumps yet."

"Well, hopefully we'll get your legs back soon, along with Al's body and my limbs. Plus, you haven't even had three weeks to get used to missing your legs. After all, I've had four years."

"Yeah, I guess. Sorry for staring, I know it's actually a bit rude, it's just, wow. We don't have automail after all."

"I understand, I forgot you don't have it in your world. Guess it's kind of freaky for you?"

"Honestly, yes. But mostly it's pretty amazing, so it's freaky in a good way."

Pinako came back with a spare leg, and shoved it into his port. "In the meantime, you're going to have to use this spare."

"...Okay, but that just looks wrong," Amelia said. "Having a leg just sort of shoved on, looks weird."

Ed chuckled "Yeah, I guess it does." He stood up, wobbling a bit. "Whoa... it's hard to walk on a leg that I'm not used to."

Winry was standing with Ed's leg over her shoulder. "After I've crafted all the parts, I have to assemble everything. Then there's all the connections to check and adjustments to make... Aw, man. It's gonna be an all-nighter for sure."

"Sorry about that," Ed said.

"You wanna get to Central as quick as possible, right? Well then, let's see what I can do!"

Ed looked slightly confused.

"But for a rush job like this, you're gonna have to pay extra!" she said, smacking his back, sending him into a stack of cardboard boxes. "Oops. I forgot you're not used to that leg."

Ed was looking grumpily up at her, he was upside down.

"Sheesh... What's with that violent woman?!" Ed exclaimed, limping over to Amelia's wheelchair. He had spoken up the moment the two Rockbells had left the room.

"I don't know. No offence, but is everyone here so... uhm... _eccentric_?"

"Well, most of the ones I know are... but there's a few on the Colonel's team that are pretty normal... why do you ask?"

"It's just that where I'm from, people aren't so... sparkly?"

"Oh..."

"Although these are some quite interesting people. It's the first time I've really fitted in in a society because I'm 'normal'. It's funny, really. Usually I'm a bit of a freak, but here I'm actually the opposite."

"Huh? Must be nice, then..."

"Yeah, and having a very rich father who's a famous businessman that suddenly turns killer, really doesn't help in attracting the right kind of attention back home..."

"Yeah... I can see how that works."

"By the way, do you know where Timothy and Al went?"

"I think they went out into the garden with Den."

"Ah. Should we join them?"

"Sure. Should I ask the Major to bring you outside?"

"Yes please."

Ed left for the kitchen where Armstrong was studying the automail cables Pinako was sorting.

"Is there something I can assist you with, Edward Elric?" Armstrong said when Ed cautiously opened the door.

"Yeah, could you help with getting Amelia out into the garden?"

"But of course! I shall help with the utmost precision and efficiency!"

"Great."

The Major burst through the door into the living room, sparkles already glimmering. "Miss Hartwood, I hear you are in need of my assistance! I shall help carry you outside!" And then he simply lifted her up into the air, wheelchair and all, and she clung to her armrest.

She did not notice anything but the 'highly efficient carrying strategy that has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations' until a few seconds had passed after she was safely back on the ground. That was when she saw something strange, Timothy seemed to be _hitting_ Alphonse?

"What's going on?" Ed asked, obviously wondering why such good friends suddenly were fighting.

"That's really good, but you should hold your hand a bit more like _this_," Al told Timothy.

"Al, what's going on?" Ed asked.

"Oh! Brother, Timothy asked if I would teach him to fight so that he could defend himself. I thought it was a good idea seeing as how he's travelling with us..."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"I didn't know you wanted to learn to fight, Timothy," Amelia said with a little smile. "I thought you were a bit too nice for that sort of thing..."

"But Alphonse is really good at fighting, and he started before me."

"Yeah, but he had Ed as an older brother."

"Yes, and _you _are my older sister, and you're always watching action films. Besides, Al told me, the fighting was a part of their alchemy training."

"Fair point. Wow, Ed, we're being compared as reasons for our younger brothers to learn martial arts."

"You think we're a bad influence?" Ed said, smirking.

"Nope." Amelia laughed a little. "And Timothy, it's completely okay that you want to learn to fight, I would have joined you, but I don't think we'd be evenly matched."

Timothy smiled a bit.

"Actually, I think it would be kind of cool for you to know how to defend yourself, and I'd rather you learn from Ed and Al than anybody else." Amelia rounded on the Elrics, "But if I hear that you've been training him with the same kind of tough love that your teacher did, I won't hesitate to strangle you in your sleep, okay? Nobody, I repeat, _**nobody **_gets to hurt my brother." She glared at them, doing her best impression of '_Winry the Wrench-Wielder_' as she could.

The brothers obviously picked up on her dangerous tone, because they backed away slightly, promising profusely to be careful.

"Great. Have fun, Timothy."

"Thanks."

He and Al returned to their training and Amelia and Ed watched. Armstrong lifted her out of her wheelchair and put her on the ground before taking his leave.

"You really are the 'protective older sister'-type, aren't you?" Ed asked her, laying down on the grass and putting his left hand behind his head.

"Yes, of course. He's my little brother and he's six years younger than me, someone has to look after him. Besides, our parents weren't really there for him, so I've practically been raising him since he was born."

"That's never easy."

"No, but it's quite rewarding when I look at him now. I'm proud of him. He's become so strong. I'm just afraid all of this will be too much for him. We're a part of a universe which is ridiculously dangerous and dark. I sort of have a feeling that he's basically a part of a story that he wouldn't be allowed to watch because of his age. And I'm wondering how much he remembers from what happened two-and-a-half months ago."

"What do you mean?"

"He was the one to find the first body, while she was still alive. She bled out in front of him."

"That's not an easy experience for a kid."

"No it's not, but it gets worse. When we found out our father was the killer, I told Timothy to run. Father threw me into a bench, and I passed out. When we woke up, Timothy had a sprained ankle and strangulation marks on his throat. He had looked his father straight in the eye as he nearly choked the life out of him. He'd been nervous and quiet ever since our father was arrested. But now I don't think he even remembers it. He seems more confused than scared." Amelia sighed. "It makes me unsure about wanting him to retrieve his memories. How can I in good conscience let him begin to remember that? He had nightmares for weeks, every night he woke up sweating and breathing heavily. He still loved his father, and he did that to him. I don't want him to remember that, it's bad enough with what he already does."

"I can see how you feel, but I don't really have a good answer. I can only give you the same advice as I gave Timothy, you should talk to each other."

"But how do I even ask him? What do I tell him?"

"I guess you'll figure it out if you just sit down with him and hear what he has to say."

"I guess you're right. I'll talk to him later."

Ed was slightly amused and slightly annoyed by the fact that both Hartwoods were thinking about the same things, yet neither were talking to each other. All he could do was urge them to sit down and talk it out, because they had really both trusted him with something that was bothering them deeply. He couldn't just go ruining their trust in him by telling them what the other had said. He knew he'd be pissed off if someone did it to him. There were still parts of the Hartwoods that puzzled him.

"Amelia, I've been wondering, why haven't you tried alchemy, isn't it a bit tempting when you don't have it in your world?"

"Yes, it is, but as you have said, it is a science that takes years to learn, and I've never had a particular flair for science. Don't get me wrong, but I just never really liked all of this chemistry and the periodic table and all that. I just don't see the point in me trying to teach myself something I don't really have an interest in, when we have two absolutely brilliant alchemists already."

"I can see your logic there."

"But I would just like to say that I have an enormous respect for you guys. I think it's really cool actually, how you're using your enormous intelligence simply to do good while trying to make things right. You're heroes after all. And you're actually proper nerds! It's so inspiring for me."

"So you're a nerd too, is that what you're saying?"

"Yes, but I'm the type that's really interested in languages and does much more work on her fiction assignments than is strictly necessary. Like six times more, just because I can't stop myself."

"So you like writing?"

"I adore it. I hope to be a writer when I grow up. I have so much fun when I'm using the words to express myself. I am just so fond of them, making them appear on the pages. But just to make it clear, I am not the type to write 'sappy' and 'deep' literature, and I stay as far away as I can from romance. I like adventure and horror, and a bit of science fiction, not things that are supposed to make you cry. And I only write poems that are supposed to make you laugh."

"Makes sense, never pegged you for the romance-y type."

"And you have permission to shoot me if I start writing love poems."

"That bad, huh?"

"Yes. Not my cup of tea. Not even the same kettle."

"Uh-huh."

* * *

When Timothy and Al had finished training, the two Elrics left to visit their mother's grave. As they left, Ed whispered to Amelia, "Talk to him."

Amelia gave a little nod as they walked out the door.

"Timothy, we should talk."

"Oh, okay. Where?

"The living room?"

"Sure."

He pushed her wheelchair and placed her by one of the chairs, then he shut the door and sat down.

"Timothy, do you want your memories back?"

"Well, I'm not really sure anymore. I remember talking to you, and there is a lot of stuff I'm glad to have forgotten, but still, there's so much of my life that's lost to me. I guess I don't really feel whole without those memories."

"So you think that the good outweighs the bad?"

"Maybe... I need some time to figure it out."

"Okay. So, we have to think about something, we can't be sure that we're going to ever get back to our world."

"I know."

"Would you be okay with that?"

"I guess I would be able to live with it. I do miss some people, but here nobody knows us. It feels kind of good. Everybody was talking to us, trying to get an interview. They were been acting like we're freaks."

"I know. Somehow I think it would be easier if we stayed here, but I don't want to give up on Auntie Gwendolyn and my friends either."

"So what will we do?"

"I think we'll just have to wait and see. Maybe things will change. Somehow I don't think we'll be able to get back. We're here simply by mistake, and I don't know if that mistake can be recreated."

"I-I know."

"And I think Ed and Al do too."

"Yes."

"But I also know that if anybody's going to get their bodies back, it's them. I want to stay with them, if only to help them out. They saved my life. I owe them so much already."

"Yes. I want to stay with them too, and I want you to get your legs back. I want to help."

"Good, then we have a plan."

Amelia spent most of the next two days reading books in the Rockbells' living room. Timothy continued training, and Ed was being fidgety. Then came docking time. Amelia was quite horrified to see what Ed's stumps looked like when most of the protective metal plates around his shoulder was taken off. He had such a large area of scars. It looked absolutely terrible. She didn't say anything though, and Ed had obviously picked up on what was taking up her focus. Amelia suddenly felt rather like a wimp with only a shoulder injury that would heal in a few weeks. She was also completely convinced that she would never, ever get automail. She even bit her lip when she saw how much he reacted to the pain when his nerves were connected. She knew he was tough, so him reacting that much, had to mean that it was surely agonising for a few seconds.

When Ed was finally (she couldn't help but think _reassembled_) he leapt out into the yard to get away from Winry's maintenance promptings and general warnings.

"Those boys, they can't ever seem to slow down," Winry said, yawning.

"Well, as far as I know, they don't. They're always out and about, running into trouble," Amelia said.

"Yeah, well, you seem to be taking after them."

"With one important difference."

"And what's that?"

"I seem to be _rolling _after trouble."

Winry chuckled a bit at that. "But really, you should be more careful."

"Yes, I know, I just get caught up in the moment and stop thinking of anything but saving them."

"Just remember that Ed and Al really can look after themselves."

"But I'm not so sure he would have made it this time with Scar. I won't apologise for butting in there."

"Yes, well, maybe you're right. Look after them for me, would you? But don't get hurt in the process."

"Deal."

* * *

They woke up early next morning, their train for Central left at eight. Amelia was being pushed by Al. She really didn't trust the Major with her wellbeing anymore, no matter how good his intentions were. She had honestly had enough pain to last her a lifetime. They waved to Winry who was standing on the balcony, sleepily leaning on the railing.

It was time for them to move on with their journey. Which of course meant more trains. _I don't want any more of this... _Amelia thought as they reached the twenty-four-hours-left alarm that she had set on her phone. She thought it would cheer her up when she had set it, but she had been mistaken. It probably didn't help that the alarm's tune was _I Want To Break Free _either. She ended up playing Words of Wonders with Al and Timothy helping as Ed slept and Armstrong read.

_Well... at least we'll have something to read while at the library... I hope... Maybe I should ask for another jigsaw. Yes, a 2000-piecer. Maybe with a nice landscape with a couple of sheep. Sheep would be nice. Very nice. Lovely woollen bodies. And those faces. I wonder what it's like to scratch a sheep. They're probably not as soft as they seem though. God I'm bored... _

"Amelia?" came Timothy's voice.

"Huh?"

"You seem to be lost in thought."

"What were you thinking about?" Al asked.

"Sheep."

"Oh, okay. Why were you thinking about sheep?"

"Because I'd like a jigsaw with sheep."

"Oh. Maybe we could by you one, I'm sure Brother could afford it."

"I feel sort of bad, though, we're basically mooching off of him."

"Don't worry, Ed can afford it."

"..."

"There's something else, isn't there?"

"Do you think I could get one with 2000 pieces? I'd guess Marcoh's notes would take some time, wouldn't they?"

"Of course! I'm sure Brother won't mind giving you something to do. Do you want something too, Timothy?"

"Maybe a book?"

"Yes, then we'll head for the bookstore after we've collected the notes."

"Yay! Thank you!" the Hartwoods exclaimed simultaneously.

A slight grunt alerted them to the fact that Ed was waking up.

"Brother! Perfect timing! Do you think we could get Amelia and Timothy a book and a sheep-puzzle?"

"Sheep?"

"She said she wanted sheep."

"But why sheep?"

"Because they have lovely furry little faces and they are absolutely brilliant creatures," Amelia said. "Although I would be really happy with a llama as well. Or a nice cow. Or hedgehogs. Or platypuses. Platypuses would be much more fun if they were called 'platypi' in the plural form, don't you think? I mean we have 'hippopotami' and 'octopi' after all."

"You weren't kidding when you said you liked words, were you?" Ed said, sighing.

"Nope. But you can't honestly say that 'platypi' wouldn't be a brilliant word?"

"I haven't really thought about it..."

"I like it, Brother!" Al said, chuckling slightly.

Timothy was smiling, Amelia seemed to become more and more relaxed around these chaps. It was nice to see her feeling like she could be more of herself without being afraid of scaring people away.

* * *

_Twenty-three-hours-and-fifty-five-minutes later..._

"Hurry up, Al!" Ed was running down the platform, his suitcase in his hand.

"You don't have to be in such a rush, Big Brother..." Al was running behind, pushing an Amelia that was having a really good time, enjoying the speed tremendously.

"Just hurry up and come on!" Ed paused at the entrance to the Central Train Station, putting his hands in the air in celebration. "We're finally in Central!"

Two people dressed in military uniforms, a man and a woman, were saluting them.

"Major Armstrong, we've come here to escort you," the woman said.

"Thank you, Second Lieutenant Ross. And you as well, Sergeant Brosh," Armstrong said.

"Oh! And this must be the Fullmetal Alchemist?" Brosh said, talking to Al. He was quickly joined by Ross.

"My name is Maria Ross. It's an honour to meet you, sir!"

"Denny Brosh reporting, Sir. I can see where you got your nickname! Very dignified!"

Al pointed at Ed.

"Hm?" went Ross.

"The _little _guy over there?" said Brosh.

Armstrong lifted Ed up into the air by his coat. He was steaming and his hands and legs were waving at a hundred miles an hour.

"P...please accept my apologies!" Ross stammered.

"I didn't mean little, per se... that is..."

"Well, I had best head over to Central Headquarters to file my report," Armstrong stated.

Ed turned around quickly, overjoyed with finally being released from the Major. "Eh? So this is goodbye?! Thanks for your help. Drop me a postcard sometime. Bye bye!"

Armstrong embraced him, tears flowing freely. "I WILL MISS YOU AS WELL, MY LAD! AAH, THE GOOD TIMES WE SHARED ON THE ROAD! UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN!" He turned to the Hartwoods, and as he was about to sweep them into another bone-crushing hug, Amelia cowered and shouted out "SHOULDER!" The Major quickly focused his attack on Timothy instead. He then turned to Amelia, left hand extended, and shook Amelia's. "Goodbye my dear Hartwoods, I hope we meet again!"

The two of them nodded quickly with a fake smile.

Armstrong turned to the crumpled heap that was Edward, and lifted him up by his coat before handing him to Ross and Brosh. "Well then, I'll leave him with you!"

The two soldiers saluted, "Yes, Sir!"

Ed stared up at Armstrong. "Whaaat? More bodyguards?!"

"But of course!"

* * *

The six of them were rather squashed inside the car. Amelia was sitting with Ross and Brosh while Timothy was sitting next to Ed and Al. Ross was explaining why they still needed bodyguards. "According to the reports from Eastern HQ, the assassin known as 'Scar' is still at large. Until that situation is resolved, we have been instructed to be your guards. We may not be as dependable as the Major, but we are confident in our ability to guard you, so please, feel at ease."

"Well, I guess we're stuck with you," Ed said.

"Don't you mean 'Thank you for your help,' Big Brother?"

"Big broth-!? So... the person in the armour is the _**younger **_brother...?" Ross exclaimed.

"Yup," Al said.

"But why do you wear _**armour**_?" Brosh asked.

The Elrics looked at each other, sweat running down their faces. They turned towards Ross and Brosh and said "It's a hobby."

The two soldiers immediately turned to each other, whispering loudly. "A hobby!? Second Lieutenant, what sort of hobby are they talking about!?"

"How should _**I **_know? Who _**are **_these kids!?"

Ed suddenly leaned over Al, pointing put of the window "HEY! THERE IT IS! I SEE IT!"

"Ah, yes. That's the National Central Library. It houses more books than any other library in the nation," Ross explained. "They say it would take more than a **hundred lifetimes **to read the entire collection of books contained within." They walked out of the car and got Amelia into her wheelchair, Al still pushing, as Ross continued talking. "The First Branch, where you four are headed, is just to the West of here. Research data, historical records, and lists of names were stored there... However..." They stopped in front of a building that was nearly reduced to ashes. "...Just yesterday, the entire collection was incinerated. We haven't completed our investigations, but it appears to have been arson."

They went instead to the main desk to inquire there, seeing as how they would be able to at least check if Marcoh's notes indeed had been located at the First Branch in the first place.

"Tim Marcoh... Let's see... I don't see any research journals by a Tim Marcoh in our records. Certainly nothing about the 'Philosopher's Stone.' Any new acquisitions, whether kept in the main building or the other branches, should be on file. If it's not here, it either means that it doesn't exist or it was destroyed in the fire the other day." Ed sunk to his knees, a look of utter doom on his face. "Uh... Hello?" the lady asked.

Ed and Al were walking shakily away, which meant that Amelia was trembling too. Al spoke to the lady "Thank you for your help..."

"Hey, are you all right?"

"_Do we look alright?" _Ed replied.

Another librarian walked over to the one they were talking to "Hey! Sheska might know something. You know, the girl who used to work at the first branch..."

"Oh yeah! I could look up Sheska's address for you. Would you like to meet her?"

"Who's that? Someone who knew a lot the books at that branch?" Ed asked.

"You could say that... she's a real bookworm."

* * *

They were back in the car, and the two soldiers were very interested in the two Hartwoods, seeing as how their presence confused them. "So, why are you two with the Elrics?" Brosh asked.

"Me and Timothy were in an accident and our parents are dead. Ed and Al saved my life, and we don't have anywhere else to go, so we're tagging along and trying to help them where we can."

"Oh. Is it really true that you crashed your wheelchair into Scar last week?"

"Uhm... yes, yes it is," Amelia was blushing, she was halfway proud, halfway mortified by the fact that she had done that.

"Oh, we thought the Major may have been exaggerating."

"No, he didn't."

"And you passed out after?"

"Yes, but in my defence, I crashed my head into his shoulder blade, and then he kicked me in the face."

"Wow."

"Still, you should trust the military more. You could have been killed," Ross said in a slightly motherly tone.

"I know, I just didn't want anyone else to die."

"Why don't we play a round of twenty questions?" Timothy asked abruptly, seeing as how Amelia was getting quite uncomfortable.

"Oh, what is that?" Al said, immediately catching on.

"It's a game from where we're from. One of us thinks of a word, and gives a few clues, and then you get to ask twenty yes or no questions, and if you get it, you get a point. We could see how many points we get each?"

"Timothy, that's a very good idea," Amelia said.

And so they played, and Ed got raisin after just ten questions. They had time for two more rounds, and then they were at Sheska's house.

They knocked on the door, but there was no answer. "Maybe there's no-one home?" Brosh suggested.

"The light's on, so she should be here," Ed said, before he carefully opened the door. "Hello...? ... WHOA! WHAT'S WITH ALL THE BOOKS?!"

"Someone actually _lives _here?!"

"I'm not going to fit, am I?" Amelia said, crestfallen, seeing the narrow passages between the stacks of books.

Ed frowned, before he suddenly looked as though a lightbulb had been turned on above his head. "Al, lift her up for a sec..."

"Oh, okay." He gently lifted her up, one hand supporting her back and the other her legs.

Ed clapped his hands and held them to the wheelchair. There was a bright flash of light, and suddenly there wasn't a wheelchair, but something that looked like a very small go-kart, but with leg-space instead of a steering wheel. It was bright red, had three wheels, two at the back and one in front. It had just about enough space for her legs, and where the space ended, she noticed it had something that looked like two big beetle-like eyes. There were small, orange flames on the outside as well. At the back there were two poles in order to push it forwards. It looked like some weird thing that belonged at a fair. Not something meant to transport a sixteen-year-old girl.

The others were staring at the contraption, lost for words.

"Cool, huh?" Ed said, pleased with himself and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Brother, it really doesn't fit her style..." Al tried gently.

Ed was about to say something, but Amelia only had eyes for one detail after three days on a train. "Is that a _**comfy **_seat?!"

"Yeah."

"Then I don't care about anything else right now."

Al placed her on the cart, and Amelia sank into the small seat. _It may be small, but it's SOFT! _"Hoohoo! Yummy, yummy, yummy!" she exclaimed, grinning. "Thank you, Ed!"

"Uh, you're welcome." He hadn't really anticipated the enormity of that little detail, and was slightly unnerved by her manic grin as she said 'yummy'.

"Ed, I think you made her day with that thing," Timothy said, grinning. He was used to Amelia's more eccentric sides, and she was the type of girl that **loved **comfort. Being deprived of that for three days straight, made her seem slightly deranged the moment she got it back.

"Heeheehee!" went Amelia, oblivious to the sweating faces of those around her.

Timothy pulled on Ed's sleeve. "Weren't we supposed to look for someone?"

"Yeah, you're right! I can take Amelia." He was probably still basking in the glory of making something that gave that kind of reaction. Also, it wouldn't really hurt if he got a few more compliments...

They started calling out for the missing girl, but she was nowhere to be found. There was a pile of books in the middle of one of the rooms, and the moment Ed heard a strange voice, Al called out to him. "Big Brother! Do you hear that?! Someone's buried under there!"

"_**DIG! DIG!**_"

Five minutes later they were looking at an embarrassed bespectacled girl that was sitting on the floor. "Aaaah! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I accidentally tipped over the mountain of books... I thought I was going to die under there. Thank you very much!"

Ed was sweating, a book lying opened on top of his head. Brosh was lying partially buried, as did Timothy. Amelia was still trying to shield her head with her one good arm, asking timidly if it was safe to come out.

"A-are you Sheska?" Ed asked, standing up again as Ross helped digging up Timothy and Brosh.

"Yes, I'm Sheska. As you can tell, I really love books, so when I got a job at the library branch I was ecstatic! But... Because I love to read so much, I uh... I would forget that I was working and lose myself in the books. That's why I was fired. I need to work hard so I can put my sick mother in a better hospital, but..." And then she started crying her heart out. It was so bad that people didn't even feel sorry for her, they just cringed. "...I'm no good at anything but reading, so no matter where I go, I can never keep a job... It's true. I'm the most useless person in the world! The scum of society!" she sobbed desperately.

Ed, tactless as always, had a slightly uncomfortable look on his face as he asked her "Uh, I just wanted to ask you one question. Do you know anything about some research documents by Tim Marcoh?"

Sheska immediately rid herself of her tears as she suddenly turned thoughtful. "Tim Marcoh... Marcoh..." She lit up. "Yes! I remember. His notes were the only handwritten documents among all the printed books. Someone had filed them incorrectly, so I remember them quite well!"

"So it really was in that branch..." He adopted a look of complete gloom. "And that means it's burned to ash..."

The two Elrics started staggering away from her. "We're back to square one," Ed said.

"Thank you for your time," Al told her shakily.

"Uh...Um..." she began. "So you wanted to read the research notes?"

Ed was looking dejected. "Yes, but now we'll never know what was written. That was the only copy."

"I remember what was in them. The whole thing."

The boys froze, then they turned around sharply, facing her. "_**HUH?**_"

"No, you don't understand... I have a photographic memory. All I have to do is read something once, and I can recall everything. Every word, every phrase, without error! It will take some time, but would you like me to transcribe it for you?"

Ed and Al threw their hands in the air in a gesture that screamed 'ARE YOU SERIOUS?!' Then Ed shot forward, grabbing her hands in his. "_**Thank you bookworm!**_"

Al was, for some reason, waving fans in the background.

"I'm a... worm?" Sheska replied

* * *

They had bought a 2000-piece jigsaw with a nice grassy landscape, and lots of woolly little sheep. Amelia was very pleased. Timothy was seated in a comfy chair, reading one of the five books Sheska had lent him before they left her house. Timothy had merely had to say what type of books he liked, and Sheska had run around her house, picking out some books that she thought would suit him very well. Judging by the fact that he was very caught up in the books for five days now, she had done a very good job in picking books. Amelia had made a mental note to thank the girl when she met her. Suddenly the girl came bursting in through the doors to the private room they had at the library. She carried a large stack of notes into the room, was gone for a minute, came back with a new stack, left for another minute, and then repeated this twice more. As she put down the last stack, she started talking. "Sorry it took so long, but there was so much material that it took me five days to write it down." She stood back, her hand outstretched towards the pile. "Here you go! Tim Marcoh's research notes, to the letter!"

Everyone stood there(minus Amelia, she sat) awe-struck. "She did it... She really did it..." Al said.

"There truly are some amazing people in the world, huh, Al...?" Ed said, mouth wide open.

"Now it makes sense. Marcoh couldn't run away with his notes because of the sheer volume of material," Al said.

"And you're sure all of these are Marcoh's?"

"Yes! Without a doubt," Sheska said, smiling. "Tim Marcoh's recipe book - '1000 Meals For Daily Living'!"

"Huh?" everyone said.

Ross picked up one of the recipe parts and read out loud, "'A tablespoon of sugar with a few drops of water...' It really is just a bunch of recipes!"

Brosh turned angrily to Sheska. "Hey! What are you trying to pull, lady? These can't be the right documents!"

Sheska was confused. "But...! I just copied it down exactly how I remembered it!"

Amelia suddenly felt a pang of empathy for the girl. It seemed to be like she thought that this was the only thing she was good at, so if she had just wasted the last five days on this, and it turned out to be wrong, it would be devastating for her. Strangely enough, Amelia seemed to be the only one in the room that immediately thought like this.

"There must have been someone else writing under the same name. I'm sorry, you two. It looks like this was all a waste of time," Brosh said.

Ed on the other hand, seemed hopeful. "Now, Sheska, you're sure that this is a flawless reproduction of Mr. Marcoh's notes, down to the last word and phrase?"

"Yes! There are no mistakes."

"You're amazing. Thanks a lot." Ed went over to the stacks of papers and picked one of them up. "Alright! C'mon, Al. Let's take these back to the main library!"

"Good idea. We can use their reference books," Al said cheerfully.

"Uhm, Ed?" Amelia said, slightly uncomfortably.

"Yes?"

"What do we do about my jigsaw?"

"Oh."

"You know what, could you transmute some boxes that I could transport pieces on? Or even better, are you able to transmute the parts that I have completed into one big piece, then I wouldn't have to worry about losing any parts of the puzzle."

"Sure, how do you want it?" He seemed slightly relieved, Amelia had been working on the jigsaw four hours straight every day for four days and was halfway done.

Amelia gently separated the finished parts into smaller ones. She was very glad that she had finally been allowed to remove her sling today, because she wouldn't have been able to do this otherwise. When she had seven different square-ish shapes, she looked up at Ed. "Done! Thank you!" She had lit up when he told her that he would be able to transmute the jigsaw, this was obviously a quite common problem for her.

She was grinning as the blue light flashed, and the small pieces in the squares turned into seven bigger ones. He did the same to the strips of frame that had been laid out for him as well. He then clapped his hands again, this time putting them to the wooden table, and so he had a second cardboard box for Amelia. "For transport," he said simply.

Amelia rolled her chair over to him and threw her arms around his waist. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You have no idea what an issue transportation has been before! Now I can do big jigsaws without being limited by space! Haha! Woohoo! Thank you!" She squeezed her arms around him once more, and then let go, still with a look similar to if she was told she could have ice cream every day if she wanted.

"Wow, you really like jigsaws, don't you?" Ed said, a slight blush in his cheeks, not from being hugged specifically by a girl, but just from being hugged in general.

"Haha!" Amelia said, happily putting the pieces into the cardboard box.

Brosh and Ross looked slightly confused.

Ed was about to leave with a stack of papers under his arm, when he suddenly stopped. "Oh, yeah... almost forgot! Payment." He scribbled something in his notebook, tore out the page and handed it plus his pocket watch to Ross. "Second Lieutenant Ross! Take my pin number, signature and the silver watch as ID! Go to the State Alchemists' office in the Presidential Prefecture, withdraw the amount I wrote down on there from my research grant for the year, and give it to Sheska." He headed out the door, Timothy and Amelia following. Amelia had her hands protectively clutching her two cardboard boxes, a huge grin on her face, while Timothy was pushing.

Ed stopped at the last second, waving to the two remaining occupants, "Sheska, thanks for everything. You're a lifesaver! See ya!"

They were walking away from the building as they heard shouting from inside. "EYAAAH! DOES THAT SAY WHAT I THINK IT DOES?!"

"WHO IS THAT KID THAT HE CAN HAND OUT THIS AMOUNT OF CASH?!"

Ed whistled innocently as he walked away.

* * *

"'Alchemists work for the people...' that's our order's motto. Alchemists have always strived to use their powers to benefit ordinary people," Ed told them as Al went back and forth collecting books. "State Alchemists go against that motto, which is why we're called the 'Dogs of the Military'. At the same time, we have an obligation to keep our trade secrets out of the public arena."

"I see... you wouldn't want your knowledge to fall into the wrong hands," Brosh said.

"You got it. Which is why, to keep that from happening... we alchemists keep our notes in code."

"Oh..." the Hartwoods went. Although they weren't really interested in learning alchemy, they found the world surrounding it very intriguing.

"This may look like a normal recipe book to most people... but in reality it is a high-level alchemical document written in a code known only to the person who wrote it!"

"But if only one person knows the code, how can you hope to decipher it?" Brosh asked, confused.

"With knowledge, inspiration, patience and good old-fashioned hard work."

"Jeez... I'm getting tired just thinking about it!"

"These notes might be easier to decipher because they're disguised as a recipe book," Al said. "After all, some people say that alchemy originated in the kitchen. My big brother logs his research notes in the guise of a travelogue, so when I read it I can't make heads or tails out of it."

"Really? You can't?" Ed asked, surprised.

"On a separate note, the Flame Alchemist Colonel Mustang's research log is written using the names of women as code."

"Why?" Timothy asked, and the others in the room were reminded that he was only ten after all. Amelia was also curious, but she had a few ideas...

"Because the Colonel is a single-minded bastard and a womaniser," Ed said.

"Oh... okay."

Amelia almost wanted to say something to explain it better, but still keep it age-appropriate. She opened and closed her mouth several times, before she realised that Ed's explanation actually was quite brilliant.

There were a few more seconds of awkward silence, and then Ed returned to staring at the notes. "All right! Let's crack this code and find the truth about the Philosopher's Stone!"

* * *

Amelia had finished her jigsaw by noon the next day. She rolled her wheelchair over to the two Elrics. Al was the only one who responded to her presence. "Hi, Amelia, is something wrong?"

"No, I finished the jigsaw."

"You did?"

"Yes. Being able to use my right arm greatly helps in speeding things up. I can usually do 1000-piecers in under four hours."

"Oh! That's impressive!"

"Thank you, Al." Amelia smiled appreciatively. "Uhm, I was wondering. And only if you think it might be of any help, but I could try to join you in deciphering the notes. I have no alchemical knowledge, but I am quite good at spotting patterns, so I just thought I'd offer my help with that at least. I just thought that if I helped spot the metaphors, you could figure out what they mean? But only if it'll help."

"Sure, if you want to. Here, just grab a few pages and some paper and a pencil, and see if you find something!" Al said, and one could hear that he was smiling.

And so Amelia helped the brothers by doing what little she could for the next six days. She found a few phrases and words that she found just very slightly odd, and wrote them down on her list, including which page to find them on, and which document it concerned. She wasn't sure how much she really helped, but Al was at least very encouraging. When she finished a list, he would pick it up together with whatever volume it concerned, and more often than not, he would start making his own notes on her list, so at least he found them interesting.

Amelia was comparing quantities of sugar slightly crossed-eyed, Ed was taking a break, lying defeatedly on the desk, while Al had his head spike planted in the middle of the current volume in front of him.

"Why'd he make it so damn hard...?" Ed moaned.

"Big Brother... maybe we should just ask Marcoh directly...?"

Ed tensed, gritting his teeth, a stubborn look on his face. "No, I see this as Marcoh's challenge. It's like he's saying, 'those who can't even break this simple code have no right to know the truth!' I'm going to decipher it on my own, no matter what!" He then lifted his head, tears pouring down his face, "But I still don't have a clue..."

"Um..." came a voice from the door.

"Sheska?"

She gave a little bow. "I'd heard that you would be in here... Thanks to you, Mr. Edward, I was able to transfer my mother to an excellent hospital! I really don't know how to thank you..."

"No sweat. It was nothing."

"But I feel bad about accepting so much money..."

"You don't need to worry about _that_. I got off cheap compared to what the secret contained in this data is worth."

"I see... So those aren't just recipes... are they? So... How is your deciphering coming along?"

_Gloom._

"Have you found a job yet?" Al asked.

_Gloom again._

Sheska bowed again. "Well, I'd better go. Thank you so much for everything."

"No problem. Don't worry about the money," Ed said.

"It's not just the money... It's just... It makes me so happy that a nobody like me, who's never been good at anything, was able to help out. Thank you."

"You're not a nobody. I think being so passionate about something is a talent in itself. Plus with that amazing memory of yours, I'm sure you'll do alright," Al told her, sweet as ever.

"Honestly! You have a talent that people would kill for! Do you know how rare your ability is? If you contact the right people, you could get a job almost anywhere! And I don't think there's a single kid who's gone through school without wishing they had your memory!" Amelia said, slightly exasperated.

Sheska lit up, grinning. "Thank you."

"YO!" Hughes burst in through the door, his hand raised in the air in a way that only made Amelia think one thing. And that was unfortunately 'Sig heil!' The ridiculousness of Hughes making that gesture brought tears of laughter to her eyes. She sat there wheezing, and the others looked curiously at her.

"Amelia?" Ed, Al and Timothy said at the same time.

"Sorr-ee-hee-hee. I'll explain it la-ater!" She would never be able to look that man straight in the eye without thinking about that image.

"Umh... okay. Anyway, I heard from the Major that you'd be here. I told you guys to give me a call if you were ever in Central!" Hughes said cheerfully.

"Yeah, we've been kind of busy ever since we got here," Ed said.

"I know what you mean! I've been so swamped lately, I haven't been able to leave the office. There's been so many incidents lately, the court-martial office that I'm in charge of has really been bustling. And we still haven't closed the Tucker chimera case."

Ed, Timothy and Amelia looked away, all of them trying to keep their emotions in check at that cruel reminder.

"Oh, sorry about that. I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject."

"You were able to take some time to see us in the middle of your busy schedule?" Al asked.

"Nah, I'm just on break. I thought I should drop by and say hi. I've gotta get back to work in a minute. Sheesh... It's busy enough as it is without the First Branch burning down like that. I can't take much more of this."

"The First Branch?" Ed asked.

"Uh-huh. It was close to the court-martial office so we used it to store our records. Incident logs, lists of names, that kind of thing. As you can imagine, the fire's really slowed us down."

"Hmmm..." Ed said, then turned to Sheska.

She blinked twice as she pointed a finger at herself. "WHAAAT?!" She brought her hand up to her cheek. "Well it's _true_, I did read the military criminal records... And of course I remember them... but..."

Ed was pointing at her, smiling. "What'd you think, Lieutenant Colonel? We're trying to find her a job."

"Huh? This little girl has an amazing talent like _**that**_?! She could really help us out!" He grabbed the neck of her sweater, dragging her with him. "Let's get the paperwork out of the way, right now! We're gonna give you a great salary!"

"Huh!? But um... Really?!" She said, not objecting to being forcefully dragged away by a stranger. "Uh... you guys! Thank you so much! I'm going to be more confident in myself and try my hardest! Thank you so much for everything!" She was dragged out the door while Hughes laughed evilly. "Thank youuu!" she shouted, waving her hands.

The rest of them waved back at her, and Ed said something that made the two Hartwoods break down with giggles. "He looks like a kidnapper."

"We got off easy, it seems, Timothy," Amelia said to her little brother.

Ed laid his chin on top of the papers in front of him, dangling a fountain pen between his teeth. "'Being so passionate about something is a talent in itself,' huh? Pretty smooth, little brother, pretty smooth..."

"It reminds me of a certain somebody I know," Al said, looking at his big brother. Timothy, on the other hand, looked up at Amelia, recognising the truth in his words.

"Heh heh..." Ed said. "Well, that 'somebody' needs to get back to these notes if he's ever going to figure them out."

* * *

They kept going for three days, and then Ed suddenly stood up from his chair, slamming his hands on the desk. "_**TH... THIS CAN'T BE!**_"

The two soldiers came storming into the room. "Is... is everything alright?!" Brosh asked. "H-have you been fighting? Please, just calm down..."

"No, that's not it," Al replied.

"Then are you frustrated because you can't decipher the code?" Ross tried.

"We _**did **_decipher it. _**We did it. We deciphered the code**_."

"Really?! Then that's good!" Brosh said.

Ed slammed his fist on the ground where he was sitting. "_**THERE'S NOTHING GOOD ABOUT IT! DAMMIT!**_"

Ed put his head in his hand. "This really is 'the work of the devil...' Dammit, Marcoh... What the hell were you doing?!"

"What's wrong?"

"The main ingredient for the Philosopher's Stone... _**Is a living human being!**_"

Amelia was feeling sick, Timothy was nearly crying. They had never imagined how sickening this reality could be.

"Maybe we would have been better off not knowing the truth at all," Ed said. "If What these documents say is true, then the main ingredient for the Philosopher's Stone is a _**live human being**_. Not only that, it would take _**numerous **_human sacrifices to create _**one **_stone!"

"I never imagined that something so inhumane was being conducted by the military..." Brosh said.

"We can't allow this to go unpunished!" Ross exclaimed.

"Second Lieutenant Ross, Sergeant Brosh..." Ed began. "Could you please not tell anyone about this?"

"But..."

"**Please**. Please just act as if you never heard about this."

* * *

They were back at their separate hotel rooms, Timothy and Amelia were sitting side by side on the sofa in their room. They were staring in front of them. The reality of their situation had just come crashing down on them. When they arrived at the hotel, they hadn't said a thing to the Elrics, who were reacting in a similar fashion to them.

Timothy looked up at Amelia. "Wha-what do we do now?" he said, tears creeping into his eyes. "We've lost everything."

"I have no idea anymore. I thought Ed and Al had the answer, but now..."

"We're not getting back home, are we?"

"I don't think so anymore."

"So what do we do? We have no money, no home, no job, you can't work without your legs..."

"I don't know." She put her head in her hands, her hair sliding in front of her face, hiding it.

"Are we going to stay with Ed and Al?"

"How can we expect them to be willing to take care of us? Ed only joined the military in order to find a way to regain their bodies. Their only lead was the Stone. He's been searching for it for three years. He's got no reason to stay in the military now. They are in the same situation as us, but at least they can get a job." Amelia felt tears running down her face. "What the _**hell **_do we do?"

"I just want to be home again." Timothy was crying as well.

"I _**hate **_this. I _**hate**_ this _**damn**_ world and its Equivalent Exchange! _**I HATE EVERY DAMNED THING HERE! SCREW EVERYTHING! SCREW TRUTH AND THE PORTAL! I WANT MY BLOODY LIFE BACK! I WANT TO BE SAFE! I WANT AUNTIE GWENDOLYN AND I WANT TO SCRATCH GEOFFREY BEHIND THE EARS AND THEN EAT A COOKIE! I WANT TO WATCH JAMES BOND WITH LIZZIE! SCREW ALCHEMY! SCREW THE STONE! WE DON'T EVEN HAVE A FUTURE HERE! WE'VE LOST EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE!**_... All of it is just gone..." Amelia started sobbing. Timothy was too.

* * *

Edward had been about to tell Al what he had feared to say for the last four years, when they were interrupted by the shouts from the neighbouring room. The words had been loud and clear. They also heard the sobs. Ed felt bad. This had been an enormous blow to him and Al, but he had forgotten what it would mean to the Hartwoods. They were lost too. And judging by her words, Amelia had finally been pushed over the edge by all of it.

"Brother?"

"We need to talk to them."

"Yes."

The two brothers walked straight into the room, not even bothering to knock. Timothy looked up at them sadly, his eyes red and filled with tears, arms around his sobbing sister. He looked like he wanted to crack too, and she was the only thing holding him back. She was leaning on him, her balance affected by her missing limbs. Her hands were held up to her chest, held in place by Timothy's left arm. Amelia was sobbing uncontrollably and Timothy was barely keeping it together himself. They were both desperate, because, as Amelia had said, they truly had lost everything except each other.

Without a word to each other, the Elrics went over and sat down by them. Alphonse was on the floor, gently embracing Timothy who suddenly let everything burst through, as he was no longer needed to help Amelia. Ed sat next to Amelia, putting his arms around her and leaning her head on his left shoulder. She clutched his shirt, holding on to it like she was sure to fall into some dark abyss otherwise. "Ju-just what do we do?" She sobbed into his shoulder, the fabric already getting wet.

"We'll figure it out," Ed said, stroking her back gently. He remembered doing the same when their Mom died, during the long nights when his little brother couldn't keep a lid on his emotions anymore.

"I wanna go home."

"I get it. And we'll get you there, some way."

"H-how do you do it, how can you just handle th-this?"

"Long training."

"I just can't do this anymore, I can't handle it anymore. I can't stay strong for Timothy. It's just too much."

"It'll be okay, we can look after you. Al is looking after him right now. You're not alone."

"You promise you won't leave us?"

"Promise."

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

They sat like that for a while, the two Hartwoods letting go of every pent-up emotion and worry that had been plaguing them for the last month. Timothy fell asleep in Al's arms, and the boy gently carried him over to the bed and tucked him in. Al already felt like he actually was Timothy's older brother.

Amelia held on to Ed for a long while still. She missed so much having a pair of comforting arms around her. A pair of strong arms that could finally help her out. She had only had Auntie Gwendolyn for that, other than that she'd been left to be her little brother's strong arms instead. She was just so relieved to be able to push off some of the responsibility. She wasn't sobbing anymore, but she still held on to Ed's shirt, her head on his shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered.

"No problem."

They suddenly heard a bunch of stomps from the room next to them, followed by a door slamming open. The stomping stopped outside their door. The voice of Major Alex Louis Armstrong thundered through the wood. "EDWARD AND ALPHONSE! ARE YOU IN THERE WITH MISS AMELIA AND TIMOTHY?! IT IS I! OPEN THE DOOR!"

Amelia squealed and burrowed her head further into Ed's shirt, seeing as how she was stranded there without her legs. "Gaah! Don't let him hug me!"

"What should we do?" Al asked quietly.

"Ignore him. Just ignore him! The door's locked so we can pretend we're not-"

The Major ripped the doorknob off, making the door crash open. "I HEARD ALL ABOUT IT, EDWARD ELRIC!"

Amelia felt frightened tears landing on her left ear, as Ed squeezed his arms around her in fright, clutching to her more like a shield than anything else.

"HOW TRAGIC! TO THINK THE LEGEND OF THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE IS BUILT ON SUCH A TERRIBLE SECRET!" The man took in the scene before him, and unfortunately understood immediately what had transpired earlier. "AND OF COURSE IT IS ALSO DEVASTATING NEWS FOR YOU, MISS HARTWOOD! LET ME OFFER YOU MY COMFORTING EMBRACE!"

"IM HAPPY WHERE I AM, THANK YOU!" she tried desperately, still clinging to Ed's shirt. This didn't help, because the Major simply lifted the pair of them into his arms.

"I CAN SEE YOU ARE BOTH IN DESPERATE NEED OF COMFORT!"

Timothy was the smart one, he was feigning sleep. Ed and Amelia, on the other hand, were being squished. She was certain she heard some disquieting snapping and popping noises, but she couldn't tell if they came from her or Edward.

The Major finally put them down, Amelia was dropped to the floor by the oblivious giant. She landed on her butt, dazedly taking in the room's new occupants.

Ed was standing up, which was when Brosh noticed his automail arm.

"Huh? Your right arm is artificial?"

"Yeah... I had a little mishap during the civil war back East."

"That's why we needed the Stone, to get our original bodies back," Amelia added from the floor, giving Ed at least a bit of help, seeing as how he'd done so much for her.

"Is that so...? It must have been so disappointing for you to find out what you did."

"The truth can be so cruel," Major Armstrong stated, tears running down his face.

"The truth..." Ed pondered the words for a bit. "Do you remember what Marcoh told us? 'The truth that lies within the truth.' There must be something more..."

Amelia didn't quite follow, she had a blazing headache from all her crying, and simply dragged herself over to the sofa where she promptly collapsed. She was just done for the night. It had been so good to be rid of all her thoughts and feelings on everything that had happened, but she was still sad that she probably wasn't going home. She had thought about it, but she hadn't really realised it before now. She turned onto her side, and lay there, taking in everything, but not catching what the others were talking about.

After a while, the Major, Ross and Brosh left the room. After five minutes, Ed shook Amelia out of her half-sleeping state. "Hey, just thought we'd tell you. We're going to the Fifth Laboratory to look for some clues. We'll be back in a few hours."

"Okay, don't die."

"Sure."

Al lay a blanket over her before they left for their own room. Amelia fell asleep shortly after.

* * *

It was about two in the morning, when Amelia woke from someone knocking on their door. Timothy kept sleeping soundly, so she shouted out "Who is it?" as she dragged herself up into a sitting position on the couch.

"It's Ed. I need to ask you something!"

"Come in, then!"

Ed opened the door, and closed it behind him. He sat down in the chair to her right.

"What is it?" Amelia asked, curious.

"I was just wondering what you remember about the Portal of Truth?"

"I've already told you that… twice?"

"Well, third time's the charm!"

"But why? And why at two in the morning? How did everything go? Where's Alphonse?"

"I'll answer your questions when you answer mine. Equivalent Exchange."

"No, answering my questions is just basic human decency. What are you going on about?"

Ed was getting impatient, and he gripped her left wrist painfully with his automail hand. "Just answer the question!"

"What are you doing! Let go! That hurts!"

"Just tell me!"

Amelia looked into those golden eyes, and realised with a sinking feeling in her stomach that these may look like his, but they belonged to a complete stranger. There was nothing of the Ed-like spirit in them, and they glowed with disgust.

"Who are you? Where's Ed and Al?! What have you done with them?!"

"Oh! Caught on have you?" said a voice that wasn't quite male, nor female, but had probably been smoking cigarettes for twenty years. There was some red electric crackling and lightning, and suddenly the thing turned from Ed into this odd-looking person. This individual had an androgynous body, long black hair a bit like an overgrown palm. It was wearing a very short top, and something Amelia thought the Americans had dubbed a skort. What worried her most though, was the fact that it still hadn't let go of her wrist, but kept squeezing it more, its face plastered with a sadistic grin.

"Fine, happy? I'm no longer wearing the pipsqueak's face. Now I'd like you to answer my question."

"What are you?"

"That's not really important now. What I'd like to know is if Lust heard correctly. She's always been one for eavesdropping, but I like to get my questions answered in a more direct fashion. So, have you seen the Portal?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Great, you're just another stupid brat, aren't you? No wonder you're staying with the pipsqueak." It lifted its left hand, and it turned into a sharp blade. The thing held it up against the right side of her throat. "Now the Portal? Yes or no?"

When she didn't immediately answer, it pushed the blade slightly further into her skin, and she felt blood running down the side of her throat.

"Why do you want to know!?" She was getting scared, but part of her was sure that she would be facing some future trouble if she didn't delay her answer. Her wrist was throbbing and the side of her throat was stinging sharply.

"Have you seen it?!"

She felt quite a lot of blood flowing by now, and its nails were digging sharply into her wrist so that it was bleeding too.

"Or maybe I should get the answer from your brother instead?"

"Okay! I have! It filled my head with a bunch of alchemical knowledge and stole my legs! Are you happy?"

"See, that wasn't so hard, now was it, you little brat?"

"Please just let me go, I answered your stupid question!"

"Sure. I won't kill you now. Not now when we know you're another precious human sacrifice."

"A what?"

It withdrew its blade and released her throbbing wrist.

"That doesn't concern you. But I really should get going now."

It stood up, and seemed to consider something. "But I do find you annoying, so..." It brought its right leg up, swiftly kicking her in the stomach with a larger force than she would have thought possible from it, and then it kicked her in the head. Everything immediately went black.

She slumped to her right, blood from her neck dripping steadily onto the couch's pillows forming a slowly expanding pool of red...

* * *

**Sorry about the cliffhanger! It just felt like a natural place to stop.**

**I will be updating in a few days as soon as I've written the next chapter. (I usually write for five to ten hours a day! But it's such a fun way to pass the time when I'm on sick leave.)**

**Yes, I do have a reference there to Conqueror of Shamballa, but it also honestly looked like that to me when I saw it in the manga.**

**Reviews would be very much appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5: Hospital Business

**Sorry about the cliffhanger last chapter!**

**I would just like to thank my followers and my favouriters and give a special thanks to Lady Jessica Mustang for giving me some wonderful ideas and inspiration for later chapters!**

* * *

**Chapter five**

**Hospital business**

Maria Ross figured it would be a good idea to alert the two Hartwoods that Ed had been admitted to the hospital. They would probably be worried by now and were sitting up in bed, waiting. When she knocked repeatedly and got no answer, she thought that they were probably sleeping. It was half past two after all. She stopped however, when she saw that the door wasn't locked. She figured she would simply check that nothing was wrong, and just take a quick peek inside the room.

She opened the door carefully, and her heart nearly caught in her throat at the sight that met her. Amelia was lying on the couch in an uncomfortable position, the left side of her face drenched in blood. Maria ran forward, and saw that it was worse than she had thought. There were two pools of blood, one beneath her head, and a much smaller one on the floor under her left arm. Maria saw the wrist was swollen and bruised with small, but deep cuts that had leaked blood down her hand and to the floor. The worst however, was the large slit in the side of her throat that Maria discovered as she turned the young girl's head towards her. Blood was still oozing sluggishly from the wound.

Amelia's pulse was faint, but thankfully there. Maria immediately pulled off her jacket and used it to pressurise the injury.

"Timothy!" she called. The boy was snoring, he was obviously a deep sleeper. Or so Maria hoped. She swiftly ran over to the bed, but discovered that the boy only was sleeping and nothing more.

She went back to Amelia and lifted her up. She carried her down to the lobby where a very alarmed receptionist was told to ring Major Armstrong and request that someone was sent to guard Timothy Hartwood.

Maria quickly drove the injured girl to the same private clinic that Ed had been admitted to just a few hours previously. They were immediately helped by a team of doctors, and an hour later Amelia was lying in a bed next to Ed's with an IV and her second bag of blood connected to her body by a needle stuck in her left arm.

* * *

Timothy had been woken up by Sergeant Brosh at six in the morning. He had been told that both Ed and Amelia had been admitted to the hospital, and that Brosh was able to drive him over there if he wanted.

Timothy had been horrified and confused. The problem was that the soldier was just as confused by the situation as he was, and so he didn't really have an answer as to why Amelia had ended up in the hospital the first place. Only that she had lost a lot of blood.

Timothy didn't remember doing much else than running for the car after seeing the bloodstain on the couch, it was much too big for his liking.

A quarter of an hour later he was sitting by Amelia's bedside, slightly comforted, but also slightly freaked out by the sound of her heart monitor's steady beeping. She was still very pale and she had many layers of bandages around her throat. Her left wrist was bandaged too, but he could tell it was swollen even with them on. She also had a large bandage on the left side of her forehead. Timothy felt that he had failed her. She had been hurt while he was in the same room! Sleeping! He had _slept _as his big sister had nearly been killed.

He gripped her hand, willing her to wake up, but she just slept on. The doctor had told him that she had a nasty cut on her throat, massive blood loss, a moderate concussion, one broken and two cracked ribs and a heavily bruised wrist with multiple lacerations.

Second Lieutenant Ross came over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. He felt tears forming at the corners of his eyes. There was something extremely comforting and motherly about this woman, and the next moment he was sobbing into her stomach.

* * *

Ed was slowly regaining consciousness, he was aware that the light outside his eyelids was becoming brighter, and he felt a sharp pain in both his left side and shoulder. He opened his eyes, taking in the room. He was in a hospital. A freaking hospital. He sat up, grunting. Sergeant Brosh was standing by the door.

"Oh! Edward. It's so good to see that you're finally up!"

"Where am I?"

"It's a clinic run by a friend of Second Lieutenant Ross. We thought it would be best not to take you to a military hospital in case they started asking questions. You can stay here until you're well, Sir."

Ed gripped his aching side. "Damn, it hurts..." He brought his one working hand up to his forehead in frustration. "I was so close to finding out the truth... This is no time for me to be stuck in a hospital!"

"**Fullmetal Alchemist, Sir**!" the two soldiers suddenly said simultaneously. "**Please allow us to apologise in advance for this!**" And then Ross slapped his right cheek. "Major Armstrong specifically told you not to go off on your own! You disobeyed a direct order! He knew that it was going to be dangerous. That's why he told you to stay put in your lodgings! Because you disobeyed the Major's orders, you almost got yourselves killed! First of all... you may be talented, Sir, but you must remember that you're still a child! And secondly, you can't always act on your own. You need to learn to work with the people around you... It's okay to trust adults sometimes." They smacked their heels together. "SIR! Please forgive our insubordinance for speaking so rudely and raising a hand against you!"

"Uh... No... I'm the one who should apologise... I'm... I'm sorry." Ed was dazed.

"And will you reprimand us for slapping you?" Ross said this with a rather tense voice.

"Nah. I had it coming."

The two soldiers breathed out a great sigh of relief.

"Why are you guys so polite to me?"

"Although you're not a standard soldier, your rank is equivalent to Major. One word from you and we could be discharged," Ross explained.

"You don't need to be so nervous around me. After all, I didn't take the state alchemy test for the rank. And there's no need to be so polite. I'm just a 'child', right?"

The two soldiers laughed in relief, but Ed didn't pay any attention. He had just realised that he wasn't the only patient in the room, and that the girl next to him was looking way too familiar for it to be a coincidence...

"Amelia?! What's _she _doing here?"

"I found her tonight nearly having bled to death. She had obviously been attacked a few minutes before that," Ross informed him.

"What? Why!?"

"We don't know. I thought it would be better to bring her too to this clinic, instead of having her at a separate hospital."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Do you have any idea about the attacker? Is Timothy okay?"

"Timothy was unharmed. He slept through the entire incident, and is currently keeping Alphonse company. As to the identity of the attacker, we have no other witnesses than Amelia herself."

"Oh, okay. Do you know when she'll wake up?"

"It should be sometime today."

"Oh, good."

* * *

A few minutes after the very unpleasant conversation with Winry, he was being wheeled back to his room by Brosh. On the way over, they found Al and Timothy sitting on a bench in a little hallway.

"Al? Timothy?" he inquired. "What are you two doing over there? You know you're allowed to be in our room, right?"

"Oh, Ed, how's Amelia?" Timothy asked.

"She's still unconscious, but they say she'll be up soon."

"Good."

"Are you two okay?"

"It's... it's nothing," Al said. "We'll be right there."

"See you back there, then."

Ed had only just returned to his bed, and the two guards stationed themselves outside the room. That was when he heard low groans from the bed next to him. Amelia was finally waking up. She was blinking slowly, fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Hey, Amelia."

"Hmm? Hey..." She had turned her face towards him, having recognised the voice. She looked at him with large green-blue-grey eyes. She then jumped slightly, backing away as best she could, her eyes shining with fright and mistrust. The movement had obviously caused her pain, and she seemed dizzy, but she still stared at him as though he was about to attack her.

Ed was startled by the reaction. "Amelia? What's wrong?"

"Are you the real one?"

"The real what?"

"The real Ed?"

"What?"

"Are you Edward Elric!?"

"Amelia, what are you saying? Of course I'm Ed."

"Prove it."

"Why?"

"Please! Please just prove that you're Ed."

She was looking at him with such frightened, round eyes, he chose to wait with his own questions until later. "I'm Edward Elric, fifteen years old, my little brother, Al, is fourteen. Little over a month ago we found you and your brother in a blind alley in Central. You had lost your legs. You have a great aunt named Gwendolyn with a dog named Geoffrey. He's a poodle. Is that enough?"

She let out a relieved breath. "Yes, thank you." She sat herself up on her bed in a much more comfortable position, wincing because of her ribs.

"Why did you ask me if I'm the real one? What the hell happened last night?" Ed had been badly startled by Amelia's reaction.

"It was about two in the morning, and you came knocking on our door. I let you in, and you wanted me to tell you about the Portal."

"Amelia, I was here in this hospital..." Ed had a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"When I didn't answer you directly, you grabbed my wrist, and started squeezing it with your automail hand so much that it hurt. That was about when I realised that you weren't... you. And then this thing turned into this person right before my eyes, and when I still wouldn't tell it, it transformed its other arm into a blade, and it held it up to the side of my throat. It got annoyed with me. It started pressing the blade further in and gripped my wrist so hard it started bleeding, because the nails weren't really nails anymore, but _claws_. And then it started threatening to hurt Timothy and I told it what it wanted to know. Then it said it wasn't going to kill me, not now that it knows I'm a sacrifice. Then it kicked me, twice, and so I woke up here. What was that thing, how did it look like you? It even sounded like you!"

Ed did not like the sound of this, not at all. He was angry. He was furious at that thing for attacking Amelia while wearing _his _form. It had made her frightened of him. It had threatened Timothy too. And then it had nearly killed her. "Amelia, what did it look like?" He said through slightly gritted teeth.

"Well, it was rather androgynous with long black hair a bit like a palm tree..."

"Was it wearing a short top and a skort?"

"Yes, do you know what it is?"

"I ran into it last night too. Apparently it's called Envy. It was together with a woman that could transform her fingers into long spears. It seems it can change its shape at will, judging from what you told me."

"But why was it coming after me? What have I done?"

"It called me a sacrifice too. It seems that there's something that it wants us for. Judging by the fact that it wanted to confirm whether you've seen the Portal, I guess it's looking for people who've seen it and come back alive."

"But, but, what about Timothy?"

"Did it seem interested in him at all?"

"No. Not as anything else than a way to make me talk."

"Then it must have somehow known that _you_'ve seen the Portal, and wanted to confirm it, but it doesn't know where you're from, and that Timothy's seen it too."

"Then that's good. I do not want my little brother to even be considered a sacrifice, much less by something like those people."

"I think we should be very careful from now on with who we let hear about your world and that you've both seen the truth."

"Agreed."

* * *

Alphonse was conflicted. He was so confused by it all. Was he really just a puppet like Barry had told him? Who was he supposed to believe? And now Ed was in the hospital, and so was Amelia. Timothy had been keeping him company for the last three days. He could easily tell that something was on Alphonse's mind. It had lasted two days until Al had finally given in. After all, if it really was true, didn't Timothy have a right to know when he trusted him so much?

The young boy had been very quiet when Al had told him. The idea had horrified him. "But why would Ed do something like that?" he had said quietly after a few minutes. "He doesn't seem like the type that would create a little brother..."

Alphonse had expected that Timothy would react by drawing away from him, tell him that it couldn't be true, something that would either confirm or deny the accusation. Instead he had just sat himself closer to Alphonse and gripped his right arm in both of his and hugged it. "I still like you either way," he had said. Alphonse had then ruffled the little boy's hair, thankful for his trust in him.

Al had been pleasantly surprised by the fact that Timothy hadn't treated him any differently since he had told him what was on his mind. They were still just as close, and Timothy had told him his worries about how he had managed to sleep while his sister had nearly died not five metres away from him. Neither of them had known what to say to Ed, though, and decided that seeing as how he was in the same room as Amelia, at least he wouldn't be lonely. Therefore they kept themselves for themselves, while trying together to figure out their older siblings.

* * *

"OH MY GOD!" Winry had shouted as she came into the room and saw the two of them lying in their separate beds, bandaged like a pair of mummies.

"Please don't talk so loud..." Amelia mumbled.

"Nobody told me the two of you were hurt this badly!"

Sweat drops magically appeared on the outside of Ed's bandaged head. "Well, originally we were only hurt about half as bad as we are now, but..."

_***Flashback***_

"_WHAT?! HE WAS SEVERELY INJURED WHEN HE SNUCK INTO LABORATORY 5?! AND MISS AMELIA WAS AS WELL WHEN THE ATTACKER WENT AFTER HER TOO?!"_

_Major Armstrong's voice had thundered through the hall outside their room. They had heard the stomping as though it was a horde of elephants, not just __**one **__over-emotional man with way too much muscle._

_The doors had been flung open, Amelia would probably have less frightened if he had carried an axe and shouted "Heeeere's Johnny!"_

_Instead he placed himself between the two beds and grabbed one teenager in each arm, bringing them together with a loud 'smash' and had proceeded to hug them until blood squirted out from all of their freshly opened wounds and Amelia had screamed "_**RIBS!**_"_

_***End flashback***_

"...**That's **what happened," Ed finished murderously as Major Armstrong posed with his shirt mysteriously absent.

"Sheesh... Don't scare me like that," Winry complained as the two patients stripped off their unnecessary bandages. There were, however, quite a few that stayed on. Winry was assisting Amelia seeing as she was both dizzy and nauseous from her concussion, which the Major's attack really hadn't helped heal.

"Not the one around her neck!" Ed told Winry.

"Oh, yeah, I got a cut there, didn't I?" slurred a slightly tired Amelia.

Winry was slightly confused, but her eyes widened in understanding when Ed whispered "_Concussion_."

Amelia fell asleep again shortly after she was lowered back into her pillows.

"**THAT'S WHY YOU'RE ALWAYS GONNA BE THE SIZE OF A PEA!**" was the next thing she heard.

"**SHUT UP! I'M NOT GONNA DRINK SOME OPAQUE WHITE LIQUID THAT WAS SECRETED BY A COW!**"

"Please be quiet?" Amelia moaned, gingerly clutching her head, before she fell asleep once again.

The next time she opened her eyes, she was resting the right side of her head on her pillow, and in front of her was a shiny metal object. She reached out for it and grabbed it with her right hand.

"Uh... Amelia?" Ed's and Winry's voices said at the same time.

"Hmm?"

"Why are you holding my finger?"

"Hmm?"

"You are holding my index finger."

"Oh." She still didn't let go of it though. She found the automail digit fascinating. It was weird but cool at the same time. And it also made perfect sense for her to grip it then and there.

Then she realised what she was doing...

"Oh."

Ed was looking up at her expectantly, he was lying on his stomach with his automail arm stretched out on the nightstand between them. Winry was obviously nearly done with repairing the appendage, and was sitting on a stool behind it. She was gazing at Amelia worriedly.

Amelia let go of the finger, blushing. "Sorry... I swear that made sense, I just don't know why..." She thought it was in the same category as furry coat-petting, but she usually had a bit more control over her impulsiveness than this.

"Uh-huh." Ed was still looking at her with his right eyebrow raised. Fortunately he seemed more worried than anything else.

Winry wiped the arm once with a piece of cloth, and Ed sat up in his bed, stretching and rolling his shoulder to check that it was working correctly.

Hughes suddenly burst through the doors, arm raised in the air. "YO! Ed my boy! Is it true you brought a pretty blonde girl into your room to service you?!"

Ed fell out of his bed. He then sat himself up on his knees. "She's just my automail mechanic!"

"So you hooked up with your mechanic, huh?"

Ed looked like he was being subjected to some sort of grisly torture as he put his hands in his hair and tilted his head backwards, his mouth open in anguish.

Ed got back up on his bed and put his face in his left hand as he sighed. "Winry, this is Lieutenant Colonel Hughes."

The two of them shook hands.

"Hi, I'm Winry Rockbell."

"Maes Hughes, nice to meet you."

"Isn't there some work you should be doing?" Ed inquired.

"Heh heh heh. I have the afternoon off!"

"Hm... I thought you said that the investigations division has been so busy lately that you can't get time off?"

"Don't worry! I made Sheska work overtime!"

"You're an evil, evil man."

"It's true that I wanted to see how you two were doing on my time off, but there's one other reason I dropped by. I just got some news about the Scar incident. Your bodyguards are going to be dismissed soon."

"Really?! All right! I can finally get these annoying chaperones off my back!"

"But your guards will only be dismissed if you will make sure to guard the two Hartwoods. Amelia has already been targeted once. We do not need to repeat that."

"Of course! They're travelling with us! We're not just going to let them get hurt out of the blue!"

"Ed, we are offering you a deal here, seeing as how you are a military officer, we are officially assigning you to guard them. That way you won't have to be followed around by a couple of guards all the time. You need to take this seriously. Amelia was almost killed."

"You think I don't know that?!" Ed was glaring furiously at Hughes. He was angry with himself. He had promised Amelia that they would look after her and her brother, and then the next minute he had gone and almost got himself killed. And as a result she had nearly died because they weren't there to protect them.

"Sorry, Ed, just needed to know that you understand the situation. Usually we wouldn't dismiss your guards right after an unknown culprit has targeted both you and one of your companions. At the same time, we do not wish to draw further attention to the Hartwoods' rather sudden presence. From here on the paperwork will simply state that the Hartwoods are material witnesses in an ongoing murder case. That will also be your cover story."

"Hey! What kind of danger have you got yourselves into? The Major never told me anything about bodyguards!" Winry was pointing her finger at him, a deadly look in her eyes.

After a few seconds of stammering, Ed turned his head away. "It's no big deal!"

"Figures." She turned to Amelia who immediately cowered, which also caused her a great amount of pain due to her ribs. Winry saw the pained expression on her face, and relaxed with a sigh. She even smiled a little. "I thought I told you not to get hurt."

"Sorry."

"I guess you won't tell me either."

"It's not really my place to do so." Amelia was mumbling.

"Thought so."

"Ed, you take care of her, you hear me?" she said sternly. Then she turned towards the door. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. I have to go find a place to stay for the night."

"You can stay at the military hotel for cheap if you tell them that I sent you," Ed offered.

"Military hotel, huh? Sounds a little too strict for my tastes."

"Hey! Why don't you just stay at my place!?" Hughes offered.

"But I just met you and it wouldn't be right for me to inconvenience you..."

"Don't worry about it! My family would be happy to have you! Great. Now that we've got that figured out, let's go!" he said, and began dragging her with him by her arm.

"Wait a sec!" she said as she disappeared out through the doors while Hughes laughed like a maniac.

"He's acting like a kidnapper again," Ed stated.

* * *

It was the next day, Amelia's head was feeling slightly better, at least a bit more coherent. Her ribs were still aching, as was her wrist, but hear head wasn't as fuzzy, and so she was very pleased with that.

The two patients each had a tray with food in front of them, and Timothy helped her balance hers on her lap so that she wouldn't be in so much pain when she ate.

Ed was staring at his milk. "You're here again, you bastard?! Aw, man! What's the big deal about milk anyway? I'm not drinking it and that's final! Do me a favour, Al, and drink it for me. Oh... but I guess you can't since you have that body..."

Al turned his head towards him. "...Big Brother, you still have most of your real body. You need to take care of it. Just drink it."

"I won't drink what I don't like! And besides, I'm not gonna **die **just because I don't drink **milk**. I know it doesn't seem like it, but I **am **growing. But everyone keeps calling me **small**! You know, Al... You're lucky you have a **big **body."

Winry was just walking inside the room as Al shot up, shouting. "_**I NEVER ASKED FOR THIS DAMN BODY!**_"

Everyone froze, Ed looked hurt and extremely guilty. "I... I'm sorry, Al... You're right. It's **my **fault that all of this happened. That's why I want to get you back to normal as soon as possible."

Timothy had begun crying silently.

"Is there really any guarantee that we can get our original bodies back?" Al demanded.

"I'll get you back to normal. You've just gotta _believe _me!

"'**Believe' you!? **What am I supposed to **believe **in this empty shell of a body!? According to alchemic theory, human beings are composed of a **physical body**, **mind **and **soul**! But has anyone ever **verified **that in an **experiment**!? Memories are nothing but data, when you really think about it. It should be possible to artificially construct them."

Ed was looking horrified. "What are you saying, Al...?"

"You told me once that there was something that you were too afraid to tell me. Maybe what you wanted to tell me was that that my soul and my memories are all **fake **and that they were created **artificially**. Well 'Big Brother'? Can you **prove **that a person named Alphonse Elric really existed!? Isn't it possible that Winry, Granny and everyone else is **lying **to me!? So, 'Big Brother,' what do you have to say to **that**!?"

Ed slammed his hands hard against the table in front of him. "You were... keeping all that bottled up this whole time? Is that what you wanted to tell me?" His voice softened. "...I see." He slipped his feet into his hospital slippers and walked quietly out of the room.

Winry tried to follow him and talk to him, but it didn't work. She suddenly came back into the room, speaking directly to Al. "Al... You... MORON!" She swung a wrench at him. She was breathing heavily, and then tears began running down her cheeks.

Al cowered. "W... Winry..."

"AL, YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT! YOU DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA HOW ED FEELS, DO YOU?! THE THING THAT ED WAS TOO AFRAID TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT... WAS WHETHER YOU BLAME HIM FOR WHAT HAPPENED!" Winry sat down on her knees, crying and slamming her wrench repeatedly at Al's armour. "He used to cry himself to sleep every night from the pain and fever caused by his automail surgery. And then you went and said what you did... What idiot would risk his own life to create a **fake **younger brother!? **All you guys have is each other.**" She wiped away her tears and pointed her finger sternly towards the door. "Go after him!"

"Um... Okay." Al stood up, walking towards the door.

Winry followed him, commanding him "**What are you waiting for? RUN!**"

Amelia and Timothy were left in the room. Timothy still had tears trickling down his cheeks. Amelia had no idea what to say. She had been horrified during Al's confrontation. She knew what those accusations meant to Ed. And hearing Winry confirm her suspicions about how he felt, it was too horrible for words. She didn't blame Al, she was just disappointed with the pair of them, not being able to just see the truth for what it was and stop blaming themselves.

Amelia didn't really know what to say to the two brothers when they returned. She focused on the most confusing part of the picture.

"Uhm... Ed? Why are you limping so heavily?"

"I finally beat Al in a fight."

"You were _fighting_?"

"Yeah."

"Well, at least you two seem to be doing better, so that's good."

"Yeah. We're all good." He slumped into his bed. "How's your head?"

"Not so fuzzy."

"Great."

* * *

On the sixth day they were in the hospital, Amelia had finally been able to move around without constant nausea, and felt it was a major cause for celebrations. She was tired of being in the hospital. She still had some difficulties with focusing her gaze, but at least she wasn't slurring her speech and feeling like falling asleep every five minutes. Her ribs were still really painful, but she was sort of used to the pain now, so breathing wasn't as difficult as it had been the first few days. Most importantly, the four of them were together again, and so the air she breathed felt much fresher and easier. The constant worry that Ed had been feeling had been quite oppressive, and so it was a joy when everything felt like it should. They had a plan and they had each other, and so all was well in Amelia's mind at least.

"Good morning, my dear children! I have returned to aid you in your recovery!" Major Armstrong announced as he gracefully slammed the double doors open.

"Major, I swear if you hug me again without my consent, I will file a complaint of sexual harassment against you." Amelia knew that that was stretching it, but she did not want any more hugs, especially with her ribs the way they were.

"But-but..."

Hughes was walking up beside him, laughing. He jokingly poked him in the ribs with his elbow. "Major, it seems you have thrown off your shirt one time too many around this one!"

"But this is an outrage! I would never seek to do something like _that _to Miss Amelia!"

"Sorry, Major, but where I'm from, it is not a good thing when older men repeatedly hug teenage girls that don't like it, especially when you throw off your shirt. I understand that it is merely how you are used to doing things, but I think you need to respect my culture too. I have been raised for sixteen years being warned against men doing things like that, and I come from a very squeamish society. I am therefore from now on requesting that you respect this, seeing as how it instinctively makes me very uncomfortable, and thereby restricts me from being able to form a friendship with you." Amelia was surprised by how she managed to keep a straight face as she said this. The thought had never really crossed her mind, but she was going to use it for what it was worth. This way she would ensure that she didn't hurt the man's feelings, and she would be sure not to be hugged again.

"Very well, Miss Amelia, I shall respect this. Thank you for sharing this information with me, and despite your culture, not think any the worse of me." He then walked over to her and shook her hand.

Ed was staring at her, gaping. He could hardly believe that she had actually done it. She had permanently made sure to not be hugged by the Major. And Armstrong respected her for it. Thanked her even. The problem however, was that now all his emotions would probably be focused upon Edward instead. He could hardly use the same excuse as her, seeing as how Amelia's main reasons were her culture and the fact that she was a teenage _girl_.

Hughes seemed awe-struck. He stood in the doorway, blinking. "Well, now that that is settled, how are the two of you doing today?" He said regaining his usual composure.

"Great! I'm ready to leave this place!" Ed said, knowing that he would be released the next day, as would Amelia.

"Good, my head's feeling much better," Amelia said, smiling slightly.

"That's good, because now that we're all here, we can finally talk about what's going to happen next. Ed, I need you to describe the two people you met after you defeated the Slicer brothers, as well as all the other events that took place in the Fifth Laboratory."

Ed grabbed a pen and some paper and drew the array that he had seen, as well as a very crude, but effective drawing of the two beings. He explained a lot about the fight with Slicer.

"So... I don't remember anything that happened after this guy kicked me," he said, holding up a drawing of Envy.

"Human souls trapped in artificial bodies, used as guards... 'Human sacrifice'... Allowing you to live... An individual named Envy... Meanwhile, we have Dr. Marcoh creating a Stone for use in the Eastern civil war..." Armstrong mused. "The Ouroboros tattoo... And a transmutation circle for the Philosopher's Stone... There are too many mysteries for this to be simply an experiment to produce the Stone."

"And the Laboratory is a dead end because it's been reduced to a pile of rubble," Hughes added. "And then we can't forget Amelia's attacker. It wanted to know whether she opened the Portal, and when she told it so, it called her too a sacrifice."

"And there's one other important thing. I'm sorry not to have told you before, but I needed to know that I could trust you..." Amelia said. She had been extremely sceptical to everyone after what happened with Envy, but at least they were left in peace now. Winry wasn't there either, so she could be sure that this would only remain between the six of them.

"What is it?"

"Envy's a shapeshifter."

"What?!"

"Are you sure?"

"He changed before my eyes. It used Ed's form, that's why my wrist is so bruised, it was even able to change its arm into automail." Amelia took off the bandage from around her wrist. Amelia hadn't shown her wrist to any of them before now, and although the movement caused her pain, she continued unwrapping it.

Ed felt a surge of anger at the sight of the bruise. It was a deep brown-purple handprint. _That's __**my **__handprint_. Ed felt sick at the thought. He could almost feel how painful it would have been. He was amazed at the fact that the wrist hadn't simply snapped from the pressure. It was no wonder that she had looked so frightened at him when she first woke up. There were five small cuts as well, and he knew that that was where the claws had dug into her skin. He was going to punch that bastard for doing that while wearing _**his **_form.

"It transformed its arm into a blade too and pressed it to my neck. I gave it the information when it threatened to hurt Timothy. And this is very important, as far as they know, I'm the one who performed human transmutation and lost my limbs in the effort. I'm not going to change that impression, because I need for Timothy to be safe."

"That is most understandable, Miss Amelia," Armstrong said.

"What I would like to know is why these people are interested in people who've seen this Portal." Hughes picked up the drawing of the tattoo. "We might be able to find something if we go through the criminal records at the investigations division."

"And I shall see if I can track down anyone who may have assisted Dr. Marcoh with his research."

There were two knocks on the door, and then an unfamiliar man with an eyepatch and a different kind of military uniform came into the room. Amelia was slightly unnerved by the fact that the man had a sword with him as well. _Who carries a sword to a hospital?_

The others froze and then exclaimed "Führer President King Bradley!"

_That's an odd title, not really sure if we're a republic, a dictatorship or a monarchy, are we?_

The man smiled and raised his hand slightly. "At ease, gentlemen. There's no need to make a fuss."

"Mister President, what brings you here...?" Hughes asked.

"What brings me? Why to visit these two, of course." He walked between the beds and handed each of them a little bag with a melon. "Do you like melons?"

"Uh... thanks," Amelia and Ed said.

"Uh... I'm sorry, Sir, but you said you're not just here to visit Edward, but me too, why?" Amelia said, staring confusedly up at the intimidating man.

"Why? To thank you, Miss Hartwood. A few weeks ago you saved the life of one of our country's most important State Alchemists. The nation owes you a great debt."

"Oh, uh, well... I didn't really save him, I just delayed the killer enough so that he didn't kill Ed."

Bradley chuckled. "There is no need to be so modest. You did a heroic thing, risking your life like that."

"Hmm, well I've mostly been told it was either brave or supremely stupid. Mostly the latter, Sir."

He laughed again. "Well, in that case your stupidity is greatly appreciated." He suddenly removed the smile from his lips, and Amelia didn't like the look in his eye. "I hear you've done quite a bit of snooping into military command, Major Armstrong," he said as he turned away from the two teens.

"Huh!? That is... I mean..." Armstrong sputtered. "How did you...?"

"Don't underestimate my information network, Major. And **you**, Edward Elric... You're searching for the Philosopher's Stone, are you not? How much do you know? A great deal depends on your answer..."

There was a lot of tense silence, and then the Führer began to laugh loudly. "Just kidding! Don't be so uptight!"

"Huh?" Ed said.

"I know that there has been some suspicious activity going on within the military lately... And I want to do something about it." He picked up a small stack of papers that Major Armstrong had brought with him. "What have we here...?"

"Uh... That's..." Armstrong began.

"Hm... It's a list of all the researchers who were involved with the Stone. You've done quite a job finding all these names. But you see, the whereabouts of all these individuals are currently unknown. They disappeared a few days before the explosion at Laboratory number five. The enemy is always one step ahead of us. And presently, even with my vast information network, I don't know our enemy's motives... or the extent to which they have infiltrated the military."

"Sir... Are you saying it could be dangerous to continue investigating this matter...?" Hughes asked.

"Yup. Lieutenant Colonel Hughes... Major Armstrong... Elric brothers... Hartwoods... I have decided that you are all individuals whom I can trust. I am giving you this order for your own safety. **I will not allow you to speak of this to anyone or stick your neck in this matter any further! **This is truly a case where you cannot tell friend from foe. **Trust no one! **You must be **discreet** in your actions and assume that the **entire military **is the enemy! However!" He grinned. "When the time comes, I will call on you, so make sure that you are prepared."

"Yes, Sir!"

Voices started calling for Bradley from outside the door. "Oh no! My pesky bodyguards are back!" He went over to the window, slipping his leg over the windowsill. He waved. "I slipped out earlier without them noticing! Now I must leave! I'm sure we'll meet again. Farewell."

They stared out the window dumbstruck.

Amelia was of course still sitting in the bed, and so she was the first one to notice Winry coming into the room.

"Hi, Winry."

"Amelia, what's going on?"

The others were dazed and still hadn't noticed her, and so Amelia, also a bit mind-blown, lifted the little bag on her nightstand. "I got a melon."

"What?"

"And I think your country's ruler just asked my ten-year-old brother to go to war."

"What are you talking about? How's your head?"

"I'm great, actually."

"Uh-huh… Um, Ed?"

"Yeah..."

"I bought those train tickets you wanted."

"Oh thanks."

"Must you rush? Your wounds haven't completely healed yet," Armstrong stated.

"We can't stay in a place that smells like disinfectant forever! We're leaving tomorrow."

Hughes studied the tickets. "Where are you going this time? Dublith?"

"Where's that?" Winry asked.

"Uh..." Al pointed at a map. "It's right around here, in the middle of the Southern region."

"WHAAA!? Look! Here, right before Dublith!"

"Rush Valley? Is there something there?"

Winry struck a pose with roses magically appearing behind her. "RUSH VALLEY, THE AUTOMAIL ENGINEERS' HOLY LAND! I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO GO THERE!" She started flapping her arms at an admirable speed. "Take me! Take me! Take me! You better take me!"

"Go there by yourself!" Ed said.

"WHO'S GONNA PAY FOR MY TRAVEL EXPENSES!?"

"ARE YOU PLANNING ON MOOCHING OFF OF ME!?"

Amelia and Timothy looked down at this, if anyone were mooching off of him, it was the two of them. Al had noticed this, and addressed his brother. "What's the harm? It _is _on the way._"_

"Oh, alright."

Winry threw her hands up into the air. "YIPPEE!" She went over to the door, "I'm gonna call Granny!"

Hughes put his hand on his shoulder. "She'll make you a fine wife."

Amelia couldn't hear Ed's answer over the sharp pain that came from her ribs with laughing at Hughes' response.

* * *

_Two days later..._

"RUSH VALLEY!" Winry shrieked as they stepped out from the train station. She immediately started window shopping.

After finally dragging her away from the newest creation from God's Studio, they came upon a large crowd.

"Huh? What's all this about?" Ed asked.

Al was able to see over the heads of the crowd. "Automail arm wrestling."

"Oooh! Ed! Can we take a look!?" Winry pleaded.

Ed looked to the rest of them. Timothy looked down at his feet and said in a low voice "I'm not very fond of large crowds."

"Well, then I'll stay with Timothy, and you guys can go have a look!" Amelia said.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, have fun!"

The three of them disappeared into the crowd, and the two Hartwoods went further away from them in order to escape the noise. They found themselves at the opening of an alley and enjoyed the shadow that came with it. The crowds were still fully visible from where they were.

"Hey, Kiddos. You lost or something?" A voice came from behind them.

They turned around and were met by a woman in her mid-twenties. She was wearing skinny jeans and a white tank top. Her arms were covered with tattoos and she had her dark brown hair in a tight ponytail.

"No, we're not," Amelia told her.

"Well aren't you the sweetest little boy? How old are you, cutie?" the woman said, ignoring Amelia in favour of Timothy.

"Don't answer her. Let's go," Amelia said. She did not like this woman and she had just discovered that she had a pocket knife in her belt.

"Come on now, Hun, don't be rude," a second voice said, this time a man.

"Yeah, we just wanna get to know you a little better," a third voice added from somewhere behind them.

They were surrounded now, and Amelia didn't like it at all. "Stay away from him!" she shouted, shielding her brother from the woman that was now only standing a few feet away from them. There were suddenly rapid crunching sounds from someone behind them running forwards, and next second a fourth person had lifted Timothy up into the air, clamping a hand in front of his mouth.

"HEY! NO! LET HIM GO!" Amelia screamed.

She was suddenly lifted out of her wheelchair, strong arms holding her against their chest, her stumps flailing helplessly.

"Come on now, honey, we just wanna have some fun," the man whispered into her ear, his left hand silencing her screams.

She bit the man's fingers, but he didn't drop her, although he did remove his hand. "EDWARD!" Amelia bellowed as loud as she could. "ALPHOmmmf" The tattoo-lady was tying the ends of a handkerchief at the back of her head, completing the crude gag. "My fenf a onna kyyyuu!"

"My, my. You're a feisty little cripple, aren't you?" Tattoo-lady said.

"Yuu byyyfff!"

"What did you call me?!"

"Ayy cauff yuu a fuffimf byfff!" Amelia's ribs were screaming with pain, but these strangers were threatening her little brother so she didn't care. She just hoped Ed and Al would come soon.

"Now-now. That is not how a young lady's supposed to talk."

"Fruuuw yuu!"

"There's no hope for this one, you sure you wanna keep her?" Tattoo-lady was talking to the man holding Amelia.

"Yeah, I like 'em like that. It's more fun when you have to break 'em in. Just a shame she's a bit defective, otherwise she'd be perfect."

"As you wish. Cutie pie over here is just the way the Boss wants them, so I'll guess we'll take them both. Let's go!"

Amelia was trying to get a look at her brother to see how he was doing, but she couldn't see him. She was scared, she really was, and the way her attacker had talked about 'breaking her in' was not comforting at all. She was still trying to wriggle loose, but the man was way too strong for there to actually be any point.

They were being carried further into the alley and Amelia was panicking a bit now. "Eff mee gooo!"

"Why would we do that? Your brother's gonna fetch us a nice sum, and you and I are gonna have a lot of fun," Mr. Pervert (as she mentally dubbed him) told her. He made a lot of sick suggestions about what would happen to her and Timothy, and Amelia was getting desperate to get away from him.

Suddenly blue lightning crackled in front of them, and a wall came shooting up from the ground.

"Let them go!" Ed's voice called out. Amelia gave a happy sigh.

"You an alchemist, kid?"

_No, he's a waffle iron. _Amelia was laughing into her gag out of sheer joy.

"I'm a State Alchemist! And those are my friends you've got there." Ed's eyes were shining with malice.

"Yeah, and I'm the Führer of Amestris!" Mr. Pervert said. He was using Amelia as a shield, still holding her against his chest.

"I've got the pocket watch right here. Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist! Also known as the 'Hero of the People'. But most importantly, like Amelia there likes to say, _I knee bad guys in the face!_" As he said the last part, he ran forwards, flying through the air as he kicked his automail foot in Mr. Pervert's face. He then ran straight at the guy carrying a bound Timothy under his arm, tackling him to the ground with a well-aimed blow to the kneecap, before punching him in the face.

Al was already dealing with one of the remaining two thugs, which was when tattoo-lady had decided to kneel behind Amelia, sticking the point of her pocket knife underneath her chin, tilting her head backwards. "Everybody freeze or Miss cripple here gets it!"

Edward glared at her. Alphonse froze. And then an expertly thrown wrench came flying through the air, hitting the woman in the middle of the head, who was instantly out cold.

Al had run over to free Timothy from his bonds while Ed was over by Amelia's side, getting her out from where she was pinned under her unconscious attacker. He dragged the tattoo-lady off of her and pulled Amelia up to a sitting position. "Amelia, you okay?" He had his automail hand on her shoulder, looking up and down at her, searching for injuries.

"That perverted bastard was going to have his fun with me! That sick freak was talking about me as though I was his possession that he needed to 'break in'! And they were going to sell Timothy to other twisted bastards just like him! They were going to **sell **my ten-year-old brother!" She felt tainted just by having been in contact with a man like that. She could still feel the stench of him. He had smelt of sweat and beer and cheap cigars. She hadn't realised how much that man had disgusted her until now. She was angry with herself for not being able to stop the tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She probably would have been able to take it if it had only been her, but these sick bastards had been planning to do this to her little brother too. He had been the main objective. She was just some sort of participation award. Without really knowing what she was doing, she was holding on to Ed, silent tears streaming down her face. "They were gonna take him!" She said to Ed, hugging him to her.

Amelia felt her nose being filled with a clean, flowery smell as Winry came over and put her jacket on her shoulders. She let go of Ed, pulling the jacket closer around her, marvelling in the sharp contrast it created from Mr. Pervert's foul stench. Amelia dried her few remaining tears out of her eyes before she let out a shaky laugh. "You know, Ed. I don't think I'm really cut out for the military in this country either."

"Yeah, probably not." He looked her sternly in the face. "Listen, you gonna be okay if I go tie up these bastards and hand them over to the nearest police station?"

"Yeah, I've even got Winry here. It just shocked me, that's all. I'll be fine."

Winry had sat down beside her, rubbing her arms to keep her warm. Amelia was only then realising that she was shivering. Alphonse was carrying a slightly shaking Timothy over to her. The little boy instantly clung to her chest. Her ribs were in complete agony, but there wasn't a thing she wouldn't do for her little brother. She had instinctively put her hands around him the moment he was within reach. She had been so afraid of losing him there for a moment. She hugged him tighter to her.

* * *

Ed had bound all the criminals together with a newly transmuted rope. After making sure that they would be unable to move in the unlikely event that they should wake up, he went over to the two Hartwoods. He took his red coat and draped it over Timothy's shoulders before walking off to find some sort of law enforcement officer. Whether military or regular police, he didn't really care. They could fix that on their own.

He was pondering what had just happened. Judging from what Amelia had said, she wasn't too surprised with what those people had been planning with her, but she had been terrified when they said they would do it to her brother as well. He could tell that she was about as protective of Timothy as he himself was of Al. He had been furious when Amelia had told him what they had said, but it wasn't the first time he'd met people like that. Even so, he had made sure to give the four kidnappers a few extra kicks as he had rounded them up, breaking a few noses.

After about ten minutes, he found a couple of PCs on patrol, and walked over to them. "Excuse me."

"What is it, boy?" the oldest of them asked grumpily. He had a bushy, black moustache and was recognisable as the type that instinctively thought the worst of any teenage boy he met. Ed loved the type. He could have some fun by using his title and study as he shattered the man's cynical view of the world.

"I need you to arrest four people back there. They're out cold after me and my little brother knocked them out."

"You making fun of us?"

"No I'm deadly serious."

The other officer, a thin man in his late twenties, was looking him up and down, trying to decide if he was pulling their leg or not. Ed was extremely glad he had perfected his poker face so that he would give away nothing.

"You know it's a criminal offence to waste police time?"

"Well, right now I would be more worried about the fact that you're wasting mine."

"You think you're clever or something?"

"No, I think it's about time that you do your job so that I can go back to doing mine."

"As if you have a job at your age!" the younger officer said.

"Hey, I just did you guys a huge favour as I fulfilled my duty as a bodyguard, you should be thankful."

"You? A bodyguard? Run off, kid before we arrest you."

"Yes, me, a bodyguard. I'm guarding a girl who's a year older than me and her ten-year-old little brother. They're material witnesses in a murder case, so they decided they would assign one of their most capable people to guard them."

"Okay, kid, this is your final warning, stop wasting our time!"

"Oh, sorry, forgot to tell you my name."

"Kid, you're asking for it. Give us your name and hold your hands out." The youngest of them moved to pick up his handcuffs.

"Sure, it's Edward Elric."

The two officers froze.

"You serious?" the younger officer said.

Ed pulled out his silver pocket watch. "Yup, and there really are four thugs that I need you two to arrest so that I can return to guarding my charges. They seem to specialise in abducting young children and selling them after grabbing them off the street, sound familiar to any of you?"

"Well, that does sound like the group we are currently looking for..."

"Great, then follow me."

The oldest officer was still just staring at him, lost for words. During the five-minute walk back, the man didn't say a single thing, and the youngest of them looked like he was internally debating with himself whether or not to ask for an autograph.

* * *

They found Al, Amelia, Timothy and Winry in more or less the same position that he had left them in. Amelia was still hugging the young boy, and Al was guarding the four thugs.

"That's them, right there. Think you can handle the rest?" Ed asked. The oldest officer _hmmf_-ed but didn't say anything else.

Ed walked over to the two Hartwoods. "Hey, you good to go?"

To his surprise, Amelia laughed. "Ed, I haven't been 'good to go' for over a month. I'm good to be put in my wheelchair though."

"Yeah, whatever."

"What can I say, I'm on a roll."

Timothy laughed, Winry smiled weakly, Al said nothing and went to fetch the wheelchair.

"Okay, up we go," Ed said as he lifted Amelia up. She gave a pained gasp, she suddenly realised how much of a painkiller the adrenaline had been, and how much her ribs hurt without it. "Gah!" she exclaimed as she landed in her seat.

"You sure you're okay?" Ed said.

"Yeah, that bastard just squeezed my ribcage a bit tighter than I would have liked, I'll be fine in a few hours. I think."

"Oh, okay."

Timothy was still wearing Ed's coat, it made him look unusually tiny, seeing as the normally small coat was much too large for the even smaller boy. Him and Alphonse were walking behind the group, while Winry was walking in front together with Ed who was pushing Amelia's wheelchair.

They were suddenly stopped by a stranger who pointed to Ed's automail arm. "Hey! I've never seen that style of automail around here." It was like having an open wound around a flock of mosquitoes, they were suddenly surrounded by about twenty people, all of them demanding to have a look at his automail. Amelia was stuck with five people pestering her about whether she had thought about replacing her legs and how good deals they could give her. She politely tried to fend them off, but they really were like hyenas just as Ed had said. She turned around at the sound of Ed screaming "HEY! WHAT THE-! NO! DON'T UNDO THAT!"

Amelia was surprised as she saw Ed standing there in only his boxers, a furious look on his face.

Winry was smiling. "Everybody here is so devoted to their research!"

"THAT'S NO EXCUSE TO STRIP ME TO MY UNDERWEAR IN PUBLIC!"

Al laughed. "Look at you, Big Brother! I bet there aren't many State Alchemists who strut around Main Street in their underwear!"

Ed took on a deadly tone and spoke through gritted teeth. "_How funny you should mention it, brother dear, seeing as how you never wear anything but a loincloth!_"

Amelia and Timothy sniggered at the ridiculousness of the situation as Ed pulled on his trousers. Plus, the loincloth comment was one of the best comebacks she had ever heard. Ed suddenly started patting the sides of his trousers frantically.

"You lose something, Ed?" Amelia asked curiously.

"It's **gone**..." he said, sweat running down his face. "The thing that **proves **I'm a State Alchemist... **My silver watch... is gone**!"

"Crap!" Amelia said.

They started asking every stranger they could find, and they soon found a useful lead. Apparently there was a pick-pocket by the name of Paninya, and after a bit of prompting with alchemised automail, they found out that the girl sold her spoils to a local pawn shop.

Winry, Timothy and Amelia were left in the street outside the building in question as Ed went inside to retrieve his pocket watch and Al followed.

Once again a few desperate mechanics came up to Amelia, asking her if she had considered automail. Amelia quickly got tired of them. They didn't even relent in their price estimates and recovery schedules when Ed came sprinting out of the shop, following a girl that had ran out just before he did.

"Listen! I'm not getting automail, and that's final! And even if I did, I've already got a mechanic, she's right there!" She pointed at Winry.

"Whatever she offers as the price, I'll take half!"

"Go!"

"Come on now missy, do you really wanna be stuck in that wheelchair for the rest of your life?"

"Leave!"

"I can give you an estimate!"

"YOU HEARD HER! LEAVE HER ALONE!" Winry had shouted, she held her wrench threateningly, and the hyenas scattered. Winry breathed heavily a couple of times, and then she turned to Amelia, and somehow the wrench had vanished.

"Thanks, Winry."

"Sure, no problem. Those type of people make us automail engineers look bad."

"Well, should we try following Ed and Al?"

"Yeah, I guess so, otherwise we might lose them for the next few hours."

"You really think so?" Timothy said. He sounded frightened. Which was understandable enough, seeing as what had happened within the last hour.

"Timothy, don't worry, nothing's gonna attack us now that we're escorted by none other than Winry the Wrench-Wielder!"

"Are you mocking me?" Winry asked.

"Quite the contrary. You have the amazing ability to scare the living daylights out of any person you meet, just by staring at them while holding a wrench. You're practically a superhero."

"Well, in that case, thank you Amelia."

They found Alphonse after fifteen minutes, they basically just had to follow the sound of explosions and watch for sudden stone hands sprouting from the occasional rooftop.

"Hi, Al, how's Ed doing?" Timothy asked Alphonse as they joined him in watching Ed's chase. Timothy became much less shy when he was talking to Al, and Amelia smiled at the two of them.

"Oh, hi! I guess Brother's doing pretty well, but so's that girl. I just wonder if he'll be able to get all the way over here?"

"He's Ed, of course he can!" Timothy said.

Five minutes later, Paninya came running out of the store in front of them, and she ran unwittingly into the middle of a transmutation circle. "I've been waiting for you," Al said, and suddenly a great birdcage surrounded the girl.

Ed came running towards her, laughing evilly. "Now you will pay, woman!"

For some reason, the girl just tapped her fingers against the bars. "Take a step back if you don't wanna get hurt."

"Huh?"

Suddenly Paninya raised her right leg to reveal a sharp blade running from her knee to her ankle. She cut a big hole in the cage. "What're you staring at? This is Rush Valley, remember?" She then smiled at them while she lifted her left knee. "By the way, my other leg has a 1.5 inch cannon."

Ed, Amelia and Timothy were sent backwards into the ground by the blast, but Ed and Timothy quickly regained their composure while Al helped righting a wincing Amelia and her wheelchair.

Paninya started running away, but Winry quickly grabbed her arm.

"Good job, Winry! Don't let go of that little thief!" Ed shouted as he ran over with Alphonse.

"Of course I won't let go of her..." Her voice suddenly changed so that she sounded like she was speaking to an angel. "Not quite yet anyway... Not until you let me look at that automail!"

* * *

Amelia didn't really catch what happened next, but apparently Winry had made a deal with Paninya about letting her off the hook for picking Ed's pocket, in return for her guiding them to her automail engineer. Ed obviously hadn't agreed to this, but nobody seemed to think that that really mattered. In short, they now found themselves in the middle of the mountains, the sun glaring down at them, and Amelia was constantly worrying about sunburns. Al was pushing her wheelchair, and Timothy was bringing up the rear, his short feet not really working in his favour.

"Timothy, are you okay?" Amelia asked.

"So...tired..."

"Okay, come on, it's time for hitchhiking."

Al stopped walking and Timothy was once again sitting on Amelia's lap. "Just mind the ribs."

"Come on, slowpokes. Hurry up or I'll leave you behind," Paninya said.

"Leave us behind?... Why...?" Ed began. "WHY THE HECK AM I FOLLOWING YOU INTO THESE GODFORSAKEN MOUNTAINS, ANYWAY!?"

"You weren't kidding. This engineer of yours really _does _live in the middle of nowhere," Al said.

"Yup. He says can find better quality ore for automail parts out here, so that's why he has a shop so deep in the mountains," Paninya stated. "Well, that and he didn't want to live in town. Too many people. He's not what you'd call the friendly sort."

"Will you just give me back my watch, already!?" Ed said impatiently.

"We made a deal, remember? I guide you to the engineer and you let me off the hook. I'm keeping this watch hostage until then."

"**I'm **not the one who made a deal with you...!"

Suddenly Paninya pointed towards a stone house. "You can see it now! There it is!" She ran into the house, waving. "I brought some guests."

"Oh, do they want to order some automail...?" a man said, smiling while removing his gloves. He took in the sight of Al, Ed and Timothy. "Whoa, **he's huge! **And **they're small!**"

Timothy just blushed, but Ed had to be restrained by Alphonse.

Paninya just ignored this. "This is Winry, an engineer who's interested in Dominic's automail."

"It's pretty unusual for a girl your age to be into automail..." the man said.

"And this is Amelia and Timothy."

Suddenly a woman appeared at one of the windows. "Oh, hello, Paninya. Did you bring your friends today?"

"Hey there, Satera."

"You're just in time for tea."

"Why don't you all join us?" the man asked.

Amelia and Timothy were still a bit disappointed that 'tea' did not involve cakes, but they were appreciative of the fact that Amestrians seemed to be very fond of the beverage too. That way they were never far away from a cuppa when they wanted one.

The man introduced himself as Ridel LeCourt. Ed, Al, Timothy and Amelia joined Ridel and Satera, while Paninya was watching as Winry and Dominic discussed automail. Ed and Al were gawking at the pregnant woman's tummy. "A baby? Congratulations, Mrs. LeCourt!" Ed said.

"_Wow_, that's so amazing," Al said.

Amelia was looking at them curiously. "Haven't you ever seen a pregnant woman before?"

"Of course we have! It's just not very usual for us."

"That's odd, you usually find one on every fifth _bus _or so back home."

Amelia had become a lot better at not saying things without thinking, but sometimes she still let things slip. She hadn't even realised she'd said something out of the ordinary, until she looked at all the stunned faces around her. "Oh."

"What's a bus?" Ridel asked.

Ed got that 'why's he in a suit of armour?'-look, and began explaining. "Amelia and Timothy here are from a different country, you see she sometimes struggles a bit with her words. You meant every fifth _train_, right?"

"Oh, yes... we have some smaller trains back home, we come from an island, so we don't need so big trains as you do here," she invented wildly. "We call the small trains buses."

"So you travel a lot?" Satera asked, smiling.

"Uhm, no, but we usually take a bus to school."

"Oh. But that's still a lot of pregnant women, don't they stay at home?"

"Uhm, well, you see, women continue going to work for quite a while into their pregnancy. We're very much into gender equality back home."

"Oh."

"So, uhm... congratulations with the baby! When's it due?" she tried instead.

Ridel smiled. "The baby's due in about two weeks."

"It's so heavy that I'm always tired," Satera added.

Ed looked much younger than he was suddenly. "Can I feel your tummy?"

"Hee hee! Go ahead." Ed patted her stomach, smiling. "You can too, if you want," she told Timothy.

Timothy cautiously put his hand upon her belly. "It's weird to think that I was this small once."

"How do you think it is like for me, I _remember _you when you were that size," Amelia said, smiling. She had been six years old when he was born and she remembered being so sceptical of that red lump that always seemed to cry. It did seem to quieten down when she held it, but she wasn't really sure that that thing was a very good idea. Then came the day when he was a week old. He had gripped her thumb and suddenly he had seemed content with everything around him. That was when she had realised that she was going to protect this little human until she died. Parts of her still felt that her brother had been born when he was a week old. And he had kept grabbing that thumb of hers every time she came to see to him for the first two years.

Winry suddenly called Ed to her, and it didn't take long until Ed was once again in his boxers while Dominic was examining his automail.

"Hmph... 17% Chrome and 1% Carbon, huh..." he said grumpily.

"I want to increase the strength and make it lighter too," Winry stated.

"I can see why. Compared to his body size, this automail is way too heavy. It's not healthy to put that much strain on the user. Maybe that's why he's so small for his age?"

"DON'T CALL ME-no wait! Are you saying that if I get **lighter automail**, I might grow **taller**!?"

"It's possible."

Ed started crying tears of joy while a spotlight and a couple of tiny angels appeared above his head.

"_Amelia, do those angels have antennas like Ed?_" Timothy whispered.

"_It appears that Amestrians are still very fond of displaying their emotions in visible metaphors, although I don't know how it works..._" Amelia whispered back, curiosity peaked.

"**Dominic, please make me your apprentice!**" Winry said, bowing.

This started a whole lot of pleading from both Ed and Winry. After a while, rain started pouring outside, and it became a complete thunderstorm in a short amount of time. Winry, Paninya, Ridel and Satera had left the room, which left Amelia and Timothy with Ed, Al and a grumpy Dominic. Amelia was gradually becoming more and more tense, due to the fact that the weather was causing her phantom limb pain again, and she gingerly leaned over her legs in order to start massaging the stumps. It hadn't really been too bad for the last few weeks, but the weather was messing with her legs rather a lot right now.

"Mr. Dominic, do you happen to have some extra painkillers?" she said as she realised that this was only getting worse.

"Phantom limb pain?" he asked, grumpy as always. He obviously recognised the symptoms.

"Yes, sir."

"How long's it been since you lost them?"

"About one-and-half months now, I think."

"I'll go see what I've got." He grunted and left the room.

"Haven't you got any left from your hospital stay, those ribs can't be very good either?" Al asked, a concerned tone in his voice.

"I didn't think about it and left them back in town with the rest of the luggage we didn't need. Paninya told us to pack lightly, and so I did, I just forgot to transfer them from my suitcase to my tote bag."

"Oh. Is it very painful?"

"It isn't as bad as I could be, I guess, but it isn't exactly comfortable either."

Timothy came over to her and started helping with massaging her right leg. He looked worried. She gave him a little smile.

"Thanks," she said to him, concentrating on her left leg instead. She was so tired of being in pain, but she had become better at dealing with it with all the migraines she'd had constantly before. She'd even had one that landed her in the hospital because it had been so incredibly painful she hadn't even thought it could be a migraine. If she could get through that, plus losing her legs, she was going to get through all of her other aches and pains.

Dominic came back and handed her a couple of white pills and a glass of water.

"Thank you, Sir," she said and swallowed them. He grunted as a reply.

Winry suddenly shouted for the whole house to hear. "RIDEL, COME QUICK! IT'S YOUR WIFE!"

Dominic turned frantic in a second, and soon the five of them were running through the house, Al pushing Amelia. It was soon made clear that Satera's belly wouldn't be so big very soon, and Dominic was freaking out along with, Ed, Al, Ridel and Paninya. Timothy had turned deadly pale. Amelia was scared. Wasn't there a much higher death-rate for new-borns in 1914? And Satera didn't seem to be in any shape to be moved, didn't that make it much more dangerous for her when they couldn't get her to a hospital? Dominic ran out of the house, pulling on his coat before quickly riding away on a donkey. This was all very different from when Timothy had been born.

Amelia was scared out of her wits. It didn't help when Paninya came storming out of the room, panicking about how water came pouring out of Satera.

Everyone freaked out even more, everyone except Winry and Amelia. Amelia had gone into some sort of trance, trying desperately to remember anything from when Timothy had been born. It had been at home, after all. There wasn't any midwife here though. Amelia did, however, remember what that slightly scary lady had ordered her mother to do. The whole thing had been more or less a childhood trauma for Amelia, and the midwife's words had been burned into her mind ever since.

"We're just gonna have to do it," Winry announced.

"So you've seen a baby being delivered before?" Ridel asked.

"No I... I haven't. But we don't have any other options though. I need everyone's help. We are going to do this!"

"Winry? I do remember some stuff from when Timothy was born..." Amelia said.

"Good! Then you'll help me!" She turned to the boys "Go get me some water!" They didn't even have time to respond before Winry turned around again. "Paninya, go find some towels! And hurry!" She turned to Ridel. "Mr. Ridel, do you have any rubbing alcohol we can use for disinfectant?"

"I think we have some in the store room!"

Winry ran off. "Oh and some ice chips, we'll put them by Miss Satera's bedside!"

Amelia was scared to her core. What the _bleep _had she got herself into? In the same day she had gone from recovering patient to almost kidnapped and now to assistant midwife? She thought through the wise words of Miss Something-or-Other-Let's-Just-Call-Her-Scary. She still had them clearly imprinted in her mind. She thought through the stuff that maybe would be able to help the poor lady. _Miss Scary had said something about music. It was said to be relaxing, wasn't it? Oh, well. It'll probably help as a pain reliever if she gets too intrigued by the music, let's just give it a shot!_

* * *

Paninya had just been called into the room by Winry, and Timothy was left in the hallway with Ed and Al. The three of them were terrified. He thought he had been scared earlier with the kidnapping, but now? He didn't know much about childbirth, only that at some point Satera would probably begin screaming. He could hear Amelia and Winry talking. At the first shout of pain, he heard a third noise though, Amelia had obviously found her phone and was playing Queen to distract the five of them. He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Of course she would be playing Queen right now! Maybe it actually was clever of her. She would probably be able to tell a lot of stories to help her pass the time, maybe even distract her from the pain.

Then Satera continued screaming and panting and Ed and Al were looking just as helpless as Timothy felt. The three of them were jumping at a particularly painful shout, and Timothy and Ed began clamping their hands over their ears in order to shut out the noise after a while.

Funnily enough, _We Are The Champions _was playing when Paninya came out from the room, falling to her knees while muttering about blood. Timothy was happy though. It couldn't have gone bad if Amelia was still playing her music.

He went into the room, joining his slightly pale sister who was smiling, her phone on her lap. When the song concluded, she turned the music off. Ed was shouting in relief. Timothy was staring at the shrieking new-born in wonder. He was fascinated. He was relieved. He almost felt like skipping the length of the room.

"I'm never having children on my own, Timothy. _Never_," she said quietly to him. "Only if they're adopted."

* * *

It was two days later that they were racing down the platform, trying to catch the slowly moving train. "We're not going to make it!" Amelia shouted. Al suddenly lifted her under his arm, jumping onto the train. Two seconds later, Ed had jumped, Timothy was hanging under his left arm, and Al lifted them onto the train. Amelia was sitting on the metal floor of the train, looking disbelievingly at the wheelchair still facing them where it stood on the platform. Winry and Paninya were waving at them while Ed was shouting about stealing Dominic's automail secrets.

"What about my wheelchair?" Amelia muttered.

"Don't worry, we'll get a new one in Dublith," Ed said, still pleased about catching the train.

_So I'll arrive in Dublith while being carried by a seven-foot tall suit of armour... well, I'm certainly going to make an impression on Mrs. Curtis..._


	6. Chapter 6: The Housewife's Wrath

**So here we are, chapter six. I've been looking so much forward to this one with introducing both Izumi and Greed, so I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, nor the lyrics from "I want It All"**

**And once again, huge thanks to the ones that have favourited/followed this story!**

* * *

**Chapter six**

**The Housewife´s Wrath**

They arrived at the Dublith station the next morning. Ed and Al were shivering so much it hurt Amelia's ribs, seeing as how she was being carried by Al. Amelia and Timothy didn't doubt how scary this lady must be, not when Ed and Al were both so incredibly frightened by her.

They kept walking for about twenty minutes before they stood outside a butcher shop. "At last... we're here," Ed said.

"Yup," Al said.

Ed lost all of his courage and started shivering once again. "I just hope our teacher isn't here!"

"Uh huh!"

"HI! CAN I HELP YOU?" a stranger said behind them. Ed and Al screamed in fright and fell backwards. Amelia gave a pained gasp as she and Al hit the ground and she banged her ribs against his metal chest plate.

"Please come in and..." the stranger continued. "Edward? Is that you? Long time no see!"

Ed was still sitting on the ground, staring at the stranger. "You're... Mason, right? Hi..." Ed stood up, so did Alphonse while lifting Amelia.

Mason started patting Ed's head. "Aha ha ha! You've gotten so _**big**_! And who's your friends?"

"It's me, Alphonse," Al said.

"You've **really **gotten big..."

"I'm Amelia Hartwood, and this my little brother, Timothy... Uhm... and if you're wondering, we sort of didn't have time to bring my wheelchair along on the train, we sort of had to jump..."

"Aha..." he eyed them a but curiously, but then he smiled. "Well... You came to see Izumi, right? Just wait a sec. I'll go get her. Perfect timing! Izumi just got back from a trip yesterday," he said as he walked into the shop.

They stood waiting outside the back door. After a few seconds, they were met with a knife still smeared with blood, then came the rest of the man. He was enormous and looked like he was ready to kill. He was even growling. He looked at them with a look that made Timothy want to run away.

"N..." Ed began.

"Nice to see you... again..." Alphonse finished.

The man looked down at Ed.

"Ed... Right?" He spoke in a deep voice. Then he suddenly glared as his hand shot forward... and... _ruffled _Ed's hair. "Good to see you. You've gotten big."

He turned towards Alphonse. "And who's this?"

"It's me, Alphonse. It's good to see you again."

He rubbed Al's head too. "I see... You've **really **gotten big."

Amelia suddenly understood that this man was basically just a huge softie, and became much more relaxed. She extended her right hand "Amelia Hartwood, and this is my brother, Timothy."

The man shook her hand in his oversized one, "Sig Curtis."

He turned towards Timothy and shook his hand too. "Nice to meet you, Sir," Timothy said.

Sig turned towards Ed. "Why the sudden visit?"

"There was something we wanted to ask our teacher."

"Okay, then. Come with me."

They followed him around the building and came to the house-part.

"How's our teacher doing?"

"Not so bad, considering her condition." He leaned on a windowsill. "Hey, Izumi, the Elric kids are here with some friends. Can you get up?"

They walked up to the front door. Ed stood directly in front of the door, while Al stood behind it, and Timothy was behind him again. The door suddenly banged open and Ed got a foot straight in the face. He flew down the street, crashing into a house.

"Well if it isn't my fool of an apprentice. I hear a lot of **rumours **about you two, even out here in Dublith," a woman said in the most threatening tone Amelia had ever heard. She walked out of the door. "So you've stooped as low as to become a **dog of the military**, have you?"

She turned to Al, Amelia and Timothy. Amelia was scared out of her wits and desperately shouted "GAAAH! BROKEN RIBS!"

Izumi looked at her, surprised. "And who are you?"

"Amelia Hartwood, Ma'am."

"Why are you being carried?"

"We didn't have enough time to bring my wheelchair with us."

"Well, I'm Izumi Curtis, nice to meet you," she said, shaking Amelia's hand. She turned towards Al. "And who are you in the armour?"

"It's me... Alphonse. Teacher, uh... um..."

"Al, put this girl down so I can have a look at you! You've gotten so big!" she said sweetly.

Al put Amelia gently on the ground. He turned towards Izumi with his hand extended towards her. "Teacher, it's so good to see youOOOEEEAAAAH!" Izumi had taken his hand and flipped him in the air, slamming him to the ground as if he weighed nothing at all.

"You've let yourselves get **weak**!" She then saw Timothy who had been well hidden behind Al. "Oh, and who are you?" she said in a much less dangerous tone of voice.

"I'm Timothy, Ma'am. I'm Amelia's little brother."

"Well it's very nice to meet you," she said, shaking his hand and smiling.

"I thought you weren't feeling well," Al said, still splayed on the ground, with Sig picking up a bloodied Ed in the background.

"NOT FEELING WELL!? I'M PERFECTLY BLARGH!" Blood suddenly spurted blood from her mouth. The Elrics screamed and Amelia and Timothy stared at her. "Uhm, Mrs. Curtis?" Timothy said timidly, but nobody seemed to notice.

"I told you not to strain yourself. Here's your pills, Dear," Sig said worriedly while putting a hand on her shoulders. Izumi wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and then embraced her husband.

"I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Come on, don't talk like that."

"Honey...!"

Small hearts were surrounding the couple. A few of them kept bumping Ed in the face, and he made small noises as he kept getting hit.

_So they are solid!? Does that mean that Armstrong is able to accidentally sparkle people to death if they're in the wrong place?_

"How about we start again..." Ed said tentatively. "It's good to see you again."

"Uh huh! Welcome back!" she said, and smacked Ed on the back in a way that made Amelia's ribcage whimper just from watching it.

* * *

Al lifted her up and they went into the house, Timothy slightly scared and holding on to Al's free hand, Amelia using the other as a kind of chair.

"So, how did you meet the Elrics?" Izumi asked the two Hartwoods.

"I had an accident and lost my legs and they found me and Timothy and saved my life."

"When was this?"

"About six weeks ago."

"And what about your parents?"

"Our mother's dead and our father's the one who killed her... so... we're kind of on our own."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Izumi said, and the way she spoke, it looked like she meant it too.

"We've been tagging along with Ed and Al ever since we met them."

"But what about a guardian?"

"Uhm, we don't have any..."

"So how come you haven't been sent to an orphanage?" Izumi was obviously growing suspicious of their companions.

"It's a long story. Officially we're material witnesses in a murder case, and Ed's been assigned as our bodyguard."

"Officially?"

"Amelia, you're just gonna have to tell her the truth..." Ed said with a great sigh. Of course their teacher wouldn't be fibbed by their story. "Teacher, we'll tell you everything later, but it's a really long story, so if we could wait until then?"

"Fine, but you'd better tell me everything. I just need to know one thing for now."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Do you trust them?"

"Yes, we do," he looked her straight in the eye as he said it.

"Fine, then I'll wait until later."

Ed was happy that she let it go for now. He needed some time to figure out how to tell her everything without necessarily mentioning that _he _had seen the truth too.

"So, how have the two of you been doing?" Izumi said as she started preparing tea.

"We've been doing fine, mostly."

"Mostly?"

"Well... I do get into some trouble being a part of the military..."

Izumi hit him in the head.

"Does any of that trouble have something to do with Amelia's broken ribs? She's way too sensitive about them for it to have been from before you met her."

"Uh, well, she was kind of attacked by someone we're trying to track down..."

Izumi hit him in the head again.

"So not only have you defied my teachings, you're getting crippled girls involved with your troubles as well!"

"I'm sorry!"

She hit him for a third time.

"Now help me carry this to the table!" She said as she stood before six cups of tea.

"Y-yes!"

They got seated at the table and the Hartwoods quietly began sipping at their tea. They were obviously scared by Izumi, and it wasn't exactly ideal the way she didn't trust them. On the other hand, it could have gone a lot worse. At least she wasn't throwing them through the air or beating them to a pulp.

"So, what did you come here for?" Izumi asked the Elrics.

"We wanted to whether you know anything about the Philosopher's Stone?" Ed said.

"The Philosopher's Stone?"

"We thought you might know something about it..."

"I've never had any interest in the Stone. Why do you want to research something that's just a legend?"

"Uh... well... just out of intellectual curiosity!"

"Now that I think about it, on our last trip to Central we met an alchemist who knew a lot about the Stone," Sig said addressing his wife.

"Oh yeah, that guy! Uh... I think... he called himself 'Hohenheim.'"

Ed curled his fists in his lap while looking down. "So he's alive..."

"Do you know him?"

"He's our father," Al said.

"The father who left you guys all those years ago? That's perfect then. He might still be in Cent-"

"THAT GUY-! That guy is the **last **person I want to ask for help!" Ed said through gritted teeth.

Everyone seemed surprised by the angry reaction, everyone except Amelia. She just sighed heavily, obviously thinking about her relationship with her own father. She seemed to understand his anger very well.

"Uh... Um, did our Dad say anything about the Stone?" Al asked.

Izumi was looking thoughtful. "He said that his lifelong dream was about to come true. He seemed pretty happy about it."

* * *

They were eating dinner. Amelia was pretty happy, she was very fond of meat and these people knew just how to cook it. They had been discussing some of the missions Ed had been on before they met them. For some reason Ed had stopped before they reached Liore. Then she realised that telling Izumi that Amelia had got stabbed in the shoulder would probably get both of them beat up.

"Sounds like you guys get in a lot of danger on your travels," Mason said.

"Oh, no! It's not always like that," Al told him.

"In Rush Valley we got to see a baby being born!" Ed said.

"That's right, Teacher! We helped deliver a baby!"

"You call that 'helping out'? The only ones that did anything were Winry and Amelia! **Freaking out **is more like it!"

"Ha ha ha! Well, anyway, everyone pulled together... and the mother put her life on the line. Humans are born with the blessings of everyone around them."

Amelia felt funny about all this. The only thing beautiful in her opinion about birth, was the fact that it ended in a little human. And it wasn't even beautiful to look at. They really just looked grumpy and red in the beginning. It was only when they got some normal colour that they started turning cute. She always got a feeling from looking at pictures of new-borns that they were actually pushed out before they were completely done. They looked seriously sunburnt, and Amelia for one did not find it adorable at all.

"That's right. That's how you guys were born, too. Be proud of your own lives," Izumi said in a much wiser and warmer tone than what Amelia thought was natural.

"Come to think of it..." Ed began. "Why don't you have any kids, yet, Teacher?"

Amelia saw the look in Izumi's eyes, and felt like slapping Ed.

"HEY, ED!" Mason suddenly said, slamming his hands on the table as he stood up. "Uh... Well... I bet you guys' alchemy skills have gotten a lot better since the last time I saw you, right? Maybe you can show me how much you've improved."

Ed and Al got really enthusiastic about the idea, and Amelia groaned inwardly. They really were just kids sometimes.

"You want to come too, Amelia?" Al asked her.

She didn't feel like taking part in this charade. "I'm feeling quite tired, do you have a couch I could lie down on, I only got out of the hospital a few days ago?" She asked Izumi.

"It's right through there."

"Thank you."

Al carried her before running over to his brother. Amelia was left in the house with Izumi and Sig.

"Mrs. Curtis?"

"Yes?"

"I'm so sorry. Ed can be so blind sometimes despite his intelligence..."

"Thank you."

* * *

The boys were outside for over an hour, and Amelia actually managed to fall asleep. It was a very comfy couch after all. She kept sleeping for a few hours in fact. She dreamt about a talking dragon with dreadlocks sending her to the North Pole to save the Easter Bunny from being eaten by an angry elf. The elf gradually looked more and more like Ed, it even had an antenna, and then it opened its mouth:

"Amelia, we have to go."

"But you won't eat the Easter Bunny, right?"

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Elves aren't supposed to talk like that..."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN ELF!?"

Amelia woke with a start. "Why are you screaming at me?"

"You called me an elf!" Ed said to her, a furious look on his face.

"No, I dreamt about an elf that looked like you... A dragon told me to save the Easter Bunny from being eaten by it..."

"...Uhm... Amelia?"

"Yes?"

"Are you sure you're through with that head injury?"

"I think so..."

"Okay... Anyway, we have to go... Teacher expelled us."

"She did? I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, I did break the two rules she set for us, so I'm not really surprised."

"So we're leaving?"

"Yeah, she threatened us with a knife."

"Sounds like her. Hold on, how long have I been out?"

"We left you here four hours ago."

"Wow. Where's Timothy?"

"Outside with Al, I was the only one who dared come fetch you."

"So Mrs. Curtis is that angry with you?"

"Yeah." He gave a little shiver at the thought.

"Lovely. Well, thanks for letting me sleep, I guess."

"Sure."

"Uhm, Ed?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think she's so angry that she won't let me use the toilet?"

"Do you have to?"

"I don't want to crawl around on the ones in the train station..."

"Fair enough."

"WHAT IS TAKING YOU SO LONG?!" Izumi's voice suddenly thundered. The lady came into the room, brandishing a knife, her eyes had somehow turned red.

"M-Mrs. Curtis, do you think I could use the toilet?" Amelia trembled.

The woman seemed surprised. "Fine, but then you're all leaving!"

"Yes, Ma'am! Thank you, Ma'am!"

Ed quickly picked her up and carried her to the bathroom. Five minutes later Amelia opened the door again. She really felt like a baby, especially with the whole 'lift me up, I'm done!' thing. She really needed that wheelchair...

Ed picked her up. The two brothers were thankfully pretty used to having to help her get in and out of her wheelchair by now, so they didn't make a fuss about it. She would usually feel rather awkward about being carried around by a couple of boys that were both younger than her, but Al was a giant suit of armour and Ed usually acted much older than his actual age, as well as being much stronger for his age than what was normal. It also helped that her lack of legs made her feel a lot smaller than she had been before she came to Amestris. Otherwise she would probably have been blushing every time she had to be carried either by a fourteen-year-old or a guy that was about eight inches shorter than her.

It was also weird how she had become so used what everything looked like. Half her dreams were already anime-style. It was an odd thing to live in a world that was _nearly _three-dimensional. When she looked at the old pictures on her phone, she sometimes thought they looked weird. And now here she was, being carried by a fifteen-year-old military officer with two metal limbs. _How strange my life has become...It's basically on acid..._

* * *

They found Timothy, Al and Sig outside the house. Ed handed Amelia over to Al before picking up his luggage and slinging his red coat over his arm. Timothy seemed relieved to find Amelia in one piece, he had probably been worried when they used so long to return. They started walking towards the train station. Timothy was getting tired and yawned loudly. It was rather late, and unlike Amelia, he had not had a four-hour power nap. He put his hand in Al's when he looked at him, and Al chuckled sweetly. Amelia was extremely thankful for how brotherly the Elrics were with Timothy. He had lost so much in the last few months, especially his friends, so gaining two great big brothers was a big comfort for him.

After a while, Sig began talking to them. "While she was pregnant with her first child, Izumi became deathly ill. She fought hard and the doctors did their best, but the child didn't make it to term. After that she was left with a body that could never give birth again. She said 'I'm sorry' the whole night long... And it wasn't even her fault. I think that's when she started thinking about human transmutation. And you already know the result. But I was the fool for not realising what she was up to sooner."

Amelia had obviously missed something while she was sleeping, but she wasn't so surprised. Judging from what Ed had told her, clapping transmutation required having seen the truth, which they had been told by their teacher in the first place. But now she knew for certain. She felt very sorry for the woman.

"Come on by if you're ever in the area," Sig sad as they stood outside the train station.

"Huh...? But..." Al began.

"We've been expelled so..." Ed said.

"Yeah..."

"Are you really that dumb?" Sig said slightly angry. "Don't you get it? Now that you no longer have an apprentice-master relationship it means you can speak to one another as peers. So do you still think there's any need to stay away?"

Ed and Al looked at each other, then Ed began scratching his head. "AAAAAAW... damn it!" His face became set and stern "Al! What did we come to Dublith for anyway!?"

"...Oh! Thanks, Mr. Curtis! We're going back!" Al began dashing along with Ed, which meant that Amelia was being unwillingly bumped up and down as Al ran with her on his arm. He was at least considerate enough to put the other arm protectively in front of her like a safety bar. Timothy was left with Mr. Curtis, looking curiously at the three of them as they ran away.

"Don't let her kill you!" Sig called after them.

Timothy and Sig walked at a rather pleasant pace, and as Timothy had discovered earlier, the man was much nicer than you'd expect. The two of them had an enjoyable talk about ice cream flavours, cakes and other sweet things, and Sig seemed very intrigued by the idea of including cakes in 'tea'.

* * *

They were back at the house after five minutes of sprinting. Ed slammed the door open. "TEACHER!"

Izumi threw a knife that he only just dodged. "HOW DARE YOU COME BACK HERE!? What do you mean 'Teacher'!? I don't consider you scum my students! Now scram!"

Amelia was terrified. The only thing that was keeping her safe was the benevolence of this pissed off butcher's wife, which wasn't exactly comforting.

Ed and Al sat down on their knees, faces set. "Teacher!" Ed said.

"We came here to try and find a way to get our original bodies back!" Al stated.

"We can't go home empty handed!"

"LEAVE!" Izumi shouted.

"WE'RE NOT LEAVING!" Ed shouted back.

"I'LL CUT YOU!"

"WE'RE NOT LEAVING, EVEN IF YOU CUT US UP!"

Amelia grew even more terrified at this statement. She did not want to be a part of that 'us' in question.

"I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE, NOW GET THE HELL OUT!"

"**NO!**"

Izumi sighed. "You idiots." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, if you're staying, you'd better tell me everything about why you're being accompanied by that girl and her brother! And no more lies!"

They sat down in the living room. Ed, Al and Amelia in one couch, facing Izumi in the other. Sig had helped fixing Timothy up with a bed in the guest room. There was fortunately three spare beds, which fit them perfectly. The boy had been exhausted after a night of very little sleep due to the trains.

"So, start at the beginning," Izumi said, arms crossed.

"It began three-and-half months ago, with Timothy finding a dead body. The dead woman turned out to be our father's assistant. Our father was a very rich businessman. A few days later I found my mother dead as well. Before you grow very worried, I would just like to say that my mother was a cheating skank that sort of replaced me when I failed to live up to her expectations, AKA pink, glittery dresses and makeup." She sighed.

"Anyway, two days later we discovered that it had been our father who committed the crimes, and he snapped. He threw me into a bench and knocked me unconscious. He went after Timothy next and nearly choked the life out of him. We woke up in an abandoned factory building. Our father couldn't bring himself to kill us, so he had brought us there until he figured out what to do with us. We escaped, but he came after us, and he managed to shoot me in the arm. We ran into a nearby forest and were left on our own with a murderous man that was nothing like our father anymore. We ran about for over twelve hours. Timothy also had a sprained ankle. We didn't even have our socks on, much less our shoes. The police found us after nearly thirteen hours of wandering that forest." She took a deep breath.

"Seven weeks later we were leaving our home for the last time, and we were saying goodbye to the property and the forest we had played in since we were little. That was when Timothy uttered the wish for a fresh start. And then that _thing _answered that 'that could be arranged' and then suddenly everything went white. Which was when I found myself before this giant stone gate. And the _thing _told me that it demanded a price. It stole my legs and crammed my head with all this information, which I later learnt was in fact alchemical knowledge. Then I woke up in a blind alley in Central with all this blood flowing from where my legs had just been."

"So you're saying that you never performed human transmutation?" Izumi asked, alarmed.

"I'm saying that I woke up in an entirely different world altogether, as well as a-hundred-and-five years ago."

"You what?"

"I'm from a little place outside of London which is the capital of England, which isn't even a country here. And when I left, it was 24 May 2019."

"So you travelled through time?"

"Yes. And I somehow ended up in a world that looks nothing like my own. Not even the continents are the same. And everything looks different."

"What do you mean?"

"It's easier if I show you." She picked up her phone, swiping through her pictures, until she came upon one of her very rare cases of taking a selfie. It had been from last time she cut her hair. "This is what I looked like half a year ago." She gave the phone to Izumi.

The woman's eyebrows rose.

"And also, if you're wondering, that's my _phone_ you're holding. It can take pictures, make videos, play music that you've bought, and you can play games on it too. It's also got a calculator. And those are just some of the things you can do with it, and that's when it's not connected to the internet, but I won't even try to explain that."

"Can you make a call with it now?"

"Funnily enough, no. There's no service because the things providing it, aren't even invented yet. But it does have some redeeming features. Hey Siri, play _Bohemian Rhapsody_."

"Sure. Playing Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen."

Izumi was staring at the singing thingamajig.

"That's futuristic technology for you. And the song's from 1975, if you're wondering."

"You see why we believe her, don't you?" Ed said to Izumi.

"I have to say that this is all too elaborate to be a lie."

"We want help her and Timothy find a way home," Al said.

"But what did your brother pay?" Izumi asked, a sorrowful look on her face.

"He lost every memory that doesn't involve me. It's a rather cruel thing. I am so scared that he will at some time stop trusting me, and if he does, he will have no way to even verify his own existence."

She noticed Al shifting guiltily beside her at that. "He has lost about fifty or sixty per cent of his life because of that. Maybe even more."

"That cannot be easy."

"It's not. That's why we're staying with Ed and Al, we want to regain the things we lost. But I have to say that I don't think that we will be able to get home. Not after we found out what it would take to use the Philosopher's Stone. And without it, trying to get back could cost us so much that we'll lose our lives. We can't risk that."

"Amelia, you never told us that..." Ed said.

"But you can't say you haven't thought it? Come on, now, you're clever. I think that us being able to even open the portal was some sort of glitch in the very fabric of the time-space continuum. Even if we do get back to our world, we can't even be sure to get back to the right time. I don't want to lose another two limbs just to end up in London 1914 instead. At least here we have made some friends. I don't want to lose nearly everything again. I may even lose Timothy."

"Amelia... we..." Al began.

"Why do you think I broke down like I did after we found out what Marcoh's notes said? Amestris is probably the end station for us. But I still want Timothy to regain his life, and I want my legs back. But most of all, Al, I want to see you in your real body."

"But what about Timothy? How does he feel in all of this?" Ed said when nobody said anything for five seconds.

"We've discussed this, and we have both agreed that we want to follow you two as long as you'll have us."

"We already promised that we'd look after you, and we aren't going to break that promise," Ed said stubbornly.

"And I will be eternally grateful for that. Thank you. Otherwise we'd be lost. Without you two, Timothy wouldn't even have a big sister anymore. Thank you." She took a hand from each of the brothers that she sat between, and gave them a squeeze. Although Al couldn't feel it, he saw it, and he gently squeezed it back. Ed on the other hand, wasn't quite the type, and answered instead by patting her twice on the shoulder.

"So you see, it was quite a long story to try to tell you earlier. Especially as an introduction. I'm sorry I lied."

"I see," Izumi said.

"Oh! And another thing... alchemy is a dead science where I'm from, and what you're doing would by many be considered magic. All of this, the truth, Equivalent Exchange, it's not real. It's the stuff of fiction."

"So what you're saying is that this should never have been able to happen."

"No, never. Especially not the whole Truth-thing. Somehow this thing from a parallel universe was able to transfer me and my brother here. We haven't even looked right for about seven weeks now."

"I see. So both you and Timothy have seen the Truth."

"Yes."

"Have either of you tried any alchemy since you came here?"

"No. We understand that it is a very advanced science, a science that neither of us have a particular interest in studying. Plus, as long as we have Ed and Al, we won't even be of much help if we learn it. I basically just have a great respect for it and for its practitioners, and therefore do not want to learn it without there being a point. After all, it isn't just like with when I taught myself the Morse alphabet during a weekend last year because I wanted to fill my time when I had a cold. I already understand that this is a way of life for many here, and I don't wish to make light of that."

"A very wise decision. I always say that if you can do it with your own two hands, you shouldn't use alchemy."

Amelia nodded, relieved to be on this woman's right side.

"But Al... When you were transmuted, didn't you see the truth?"

"Uh... I have no idea what this "truth" you're talking about is..."

"Hm... Maybe the shock made you lose your memory...? We have to get Al's memory back. After all, his entire body was taken. Think what he might have experienced."

"I get it! That guy talked about paying the 'toll'! I just paid my arm and my leg... but with what Al paid, he must have been closest to the truth!" Ed said.

"So if I can remember what happened, we'll know the answer!?" Al exclaimed.

"But the memory of _**that thing**_..." Izumi said mysteriously, rubbing her chin.

"Yeah... _**that thing**_," Ed added ominously.

"Huh... what thing? Is it that bad?" Al said, sweating.

"It's not bad, per se... more like weird," Izumi said, suddenly sprouting an extra pair of arms and waving them about.

"Yeah. Really weird. Like this," Ed said, four arms waving above his head.

"And really creepy..." Amelia added.

"That's too abstract - I don't get it!" Al said.

"He might lose his mind..." Izumi mused.

"It could leave him a vegetable, huh?" Ed said.

"...But still... If there's a chance it might help, I want to try it!"

Izumi grew thoughtful. "All right. I'll try and find a way to retrieve your memory. I'm going to ask an acquaintance of mine about this. But before I do that... you must be hungry. I'll make some dinner. Give me a hand." She said the last part with a smile. "You're not leaving until you find your answers, right?"

Ed and Al were stood frozen in shock.

"Are you gonna sit there all night? MOVE!"

"Y... yes, Ma'am!"

"Thank you very much!"

* * *

They went to bed at about eleven. Timothy was sleeping deeply in his bed, and Al gently put Amelia down on hers. Al left the room after saying goodnight to Ed and Amelia and pulling an extra blanket over a slightly shivering Timothy. He was going to spend the night in the living room, reading up on whatever tome took his fancy.

"She's scary as _bleep _when she wants to be, but other than that, she's actually a really nice woman," Amelia said, smiling as she gingerly slid under the covers.

"Yeah, she is."

"And she cares a lot about you two."

"I guess she does."

"You know, it's good to actually know that we'll be staying in the same place for a while. It's been over a month since the last time."

Ed sighed. When he had listened to what Amelia had said tonight, he had heard the silent longing in her voice for a stable long-time home. She was obviously trying to stay strong for her little brother, and she was doing a great job, but when he left the room one could tell that she still wasn't having an easy time with adjusting to her new lifestyle.

"You know, if you wanted to, I'm sure Granny Pinako would take you and Timothy inn..." he told her.

"We're in the way, aren't we?" she said silently.

"What?! No!"

"I mean, we are obviously slowing you down. And we don't have any money and are basically mooching off of you without being able to give anything in return. We really aren't much more than liabilities."

This was going in the completely wrong direction. "Amelia, please just stop talking! Listen to me, we do not want to push you and Timothy away! You're our friends! Why can't you just accept it that someone actually just wants to help?!"

"Because throughout my entire life there has only been about three people that have actually cared about me! People don't give a crap about how I feel! Do you have any idea what it's like to go through school knowing that when people talk to you it's so that _they _won't feel bad and nothing more? So why the hell should I be so lucky now to actually find two people that actually care?! Do you have any idea how unlikely that is? I've been given crap all my life from everyone else than Auntie Gwendolyn, Lizzie and Timothy! The man I should have trusted to take care of me and look after me since birth **shot **me, for god's sakes!" She took a deep breath. "You just pity me, don't you?" she said in barely more than a whisper, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She hated having exploded like that. It just came over her. Talking about her past wasn't as easy as she made it out to be.

Suddenly the door burst open. Izumi stood there, looking livid. "BE QUIET!" She stormed forwards, grabbing the front of Amelia's nightgown, lifting her slightly into the air_. "_IF YOU ARE GOING TO KEEP ME AWAKE YOU SHOULD AT LEAST BE DOING SO WITH SOMETHING OTHER THAN SOMETHING AS STUPID AS THAT!" She hit Amelia in the face. "You need to remember that you have been given a fresh start, which means you should give them a chance!" She hit Amelia again, she could feel her nose starting to bleed. Her whole face was aching. "If Ed and Al didn't want you around, they would have dumped you off somewhere six weeks ago!" Another hit. "NOW STOP WALLOWING IN SELF-PITY AND LET ME SLEEP!" She threw Amelia across the room. She crashed into a drawer, knocking the wind out of her. She slumped to the floor as Izumi stomped through the bedroom door and slammed it shut behind her.

Ed and a newly wakened Timothy ran over to her, checking if she was alright. Tears were streaming down her cheeks from the repeated blows to her face. She had a trickle of blood running from her mouth as well as the masses of blood flowing out of her nose. Her ribs though, were definitely the main problem. They felt like they were on fire, screaming in agony.

"Amelia!"

"Amelia!"

"Hey, just breathe!"

"Amelia!"

"Ribs!" she wheezed.

"Oh, crap, I forgot about them! Okay, Timothy, grab some toilet paper from the bathroom, we should stop this nosebleed!"

"Remind me not to piss off your teacher again, Ed," she said, chuckling painfully while clutching her nose.

* * *

Amelia had listened to Izumi's words and she began to let go of her past. She stopped comparing everything to how they had been at home, and began embracing life in Amestris. She had avoided any more lectures from Izumi, and after a month's time, her ribs were completely healed. By two months' time she was even becoming used to watching Izumi's daily training of the Elrics. Neither she nor Timothy wanted her to train the younger Hartwood, so Izumi (barely) let it slide that the Elrics were in charge of training Timothy. Apparently there was this slight loophole seeing as how Timothy had taken on Ed and Al as teachers, and seeing as how Izumi wasn't the Elrics' teacher any more, she actually didn't have any say in how her ex-students chose to train their own students. Amelia had made sure to point this out early on, because she had no wish in seeing Timothy being scarred for life by the woman's more than harsh training regime. (It may also have something to do with the fact that neither of the Elrics seemed to be comfortable about actually trying to hit Timothy's sweet little face with full force, which made her infinitely more trusting of them.)

It did seem to make Izumi slightly angry though, so Timothy, in order to repay some of the hospitality that she had given them, offered to help her when she announced one day that she would be doing some gardening. This left Amelia with the Elrics, and the three of them headed for the library.

Amelia was caught up in a very exciting science fiction novel, and had read about four hundred pages that day. She was quite pleased with herself for that, she usually read quicker than average, but next to the Elrics, she was positively slow. They read at a pace about six times faster than her. And they were reading thick alchemy tomes. She didn't even feel overshadowed by this, because while she was a rather bright and intelligent girl, she was actually quite content with being considered normal next to these two. The brothers were prodigies after all, and she was enjoying the lack of pressure that it brought.

This of course, meant that the librarians found her to be the more approachable of the three of them. This was the case today as well, and a woman in her thirties gently poked her in the shoulder and told her that the library was closing.

Ed was completely caught up in his book, not noticing a thing. She slid a hand in front of his eyes, which was the best way to direct his focus away from the book, without it being registered as an attack and therefore warrant an automail fist in the face.

"Oi! Ed! Closing time."

"Huh? Really? That was fast..."

"The clock firmly states that it is, in fact, eight PM."

His eyes suddenly cleared, and he visibly paled. "Teacher's gonna kill us!"

Everybody trembled.

"Oh, crap!"

Amelia started rolling herself towards the door at a considerable speed. She had really started getting the hang of her wheelchair. Ed held the door open for her, and they sped out of the building.

"Ed, when you get wrapped up in a book you lose all track of time," Al said.

"You're the same way!"

"I think we're all to blame here..." Amelia said.

"Hey! Let's take a short cut."

"If we don't hurry home, Teacher's gonna get mad at us," Ed said.

They turned down an alley when someone in tattered clothes called out. "**You there. I'm talking to you.**" The man was barefoot and walked towards them as they slowed their pace. "Spare some coins for a poor beggar?"

Ed just grabbed Amelia's wheelchair and pushed her forwards as they dashed away from the man. "**Shut up! Go get a job!**"

The man kept up with their speed, something that made Amelia quite ill at ease, but didn't seem to bother Ed. _Maybe Amestrian beggars are just more clingy._

"How can you be so cold-hearted!?" the man said to them. "Hey! What about you, Sir? In the armour?"

"Sorry, I don't have any money," Al said.

"Oh come on! As a State Alchemist, you must be rolling in dough, right?"

Amelia felt that they should be running even faster, she had ominous feeling that this man was not a beggar with his level of information plus the speed of which he ran without getting out of breath.

"None of the alchemists I know have any money."

"No need to play dumb. You're famous, aren't you, Sir? You're the alchemist... who transmuted his brother's soul."

They stopped abruptly.

"Am I right?" the man said.

Ed gritted his teeth. "You're starting to get on my nerves."

"You, Sir... in the armour. You don't have a body, do you?"

Ed kicked him in the face.

He rolled backwards, smashing into a wall. "Ow... you broke my nose!" He glared at Ed. "You can't treat me like that just because I guessed right! I'd like to see your parents' faces if they knew wh..."

He was interrupted by the trashcan Ed threw in his face. "**YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN TO QUIT, DO YOU!?**"

"Heh... heh heh... Judging by how angry you're getting... I'm guessing I was right about that suit of armour. Which I guess also means that that girl really is from another world..."

Amelia felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. _How does he know?_

Ed was furious. "**What the hell are you talking about!? You damn-**"

Al put a hand on his shoulder. "Mister." He lifted the bloodied man off the ground. "**Give it a rest, okay?**"

"S... sorry about that. That was childish of me."

He snuck his _tail!? _over Al's shoulder and whipped his helmet off as he flipped himself in the air. "YAH HAAH! THERE'S NO MISTAKING IT NOW! YOU'RE THE ONES WHO TRANSMUTED A SOUL!" He landed on all fours.

Ed tried kicking it. "**What the hell?!**"

"Too late!" it exclaimed as it jumped into the air. It started running away. "I got what I really needed! I guess I'll find out about the girl another time! See ya later!"

Ed clapped his hands together. "**I WON'T LET YOU ESCAPE!**" He transmuted a large wall, blocking the man from running further down the street.

"WHOA! COOL! But!" and then he started climbing the wall as if he was Spider-Man or something.

"NO WAY!" Ed screamed.

"I've got a few tricks of my own," he said as he climbed over the wall. "Later, chumps."

"What... What was _**that?!**_" Ed said.

* * *

They had been rather shaken by the strange encounter, but nothing happened for the next two weeks, and they resumed their daily schedules.

It was the first week of October, and Ed was training when he suddenly froze. He had a look from a mixture of horror and anger on his face.

"What's the matter, Big Brother? Throw your back out?" Al asked.

Ed stood up, he was looking horrified and sweat was running down his face. "**I totally forgot about this year's assessment.**"

"**OH NO!**" Al said.

"This year's **what**?" Izumi asked.

"The annual assessment for State Alchemists!" Ed explained. "Every year we have to pass an assessment or they'll take away our license. I've been so busy lately, I forgot all about it! This isn't good. Not good at all..."

Izumi was by the telephone in a flash. "Great! You can use this opportunity to quit being the military's dog. I'll go ahead and let military HQ know you won't be showing up."

"STOP!" Ed cried out. "I've been meaning to go to Headquarters, anyway."

"Feh!"

"Sure have!"

Ed went to take a quick shower. Timothy and Amelia who had been watching all of this, were slightly confused by how quick this had all happened.

"Amelia, would it be alright if I asked if I could join him?" Timothy asked quietly.

"Sure, why?"

"Honestly, I'm getting bored..."

"Aha. Gotcha."

"So it's okay?"

"Of course, just go ask Ed if it's alright with him."

Timothy got going, and found Ed walking out of the bathroom in his trousers and with a towel draped over his shoulders, his hair hanging freely. He looked slightly dishevelled. "Oh, hey, Timothy."

"Uhm, Ed, would it be alright if I joined you?"

"Why do you want to?" he asked, surprised.

"I'm bored with just going to the library every day..."

"Ah. In that case, sure."

"Thanks," he smiled.

"But you'll better get packing quick."

"Of course."

They strode quickly into the guest room, both of them packing their suitcases. Ed was throwing on his black tank top when Al came into the room. "Wait, Big Brother! South HQ is much closer than Central. It's only two stations away by train."

"Got it. Thanks, Al."

They went to the front door, and Ed and Timothy threw their jackets on. "What about your report?" Al asked.

"I'll just whip something up on the train."

"You be careful out there."

"Yeah, yeah. We'll only be gone two or three days."

"Take care," Amelia said to the two of them as she hugged her little brother.

"Of course," Timothy said.

Ed opened the door. "Well... We're off!"

"Bye!" Timothy said to the rest of them.

"Good luck, Ed! And have fun, Timothy!" Amelia said.

"Thanks," they said together.

"Hey, Ed, I've been wondering about something?" Timothy said as they walked through the streets.

"What?"

"Why does everyone else than you wear a military uniform?"

"Because everyone else cares about their superiors' opinions. I don't."

"But won't that get you into trouble?"

"Nobody's gonna court-martial me just because I won't wear a stupid uniform."

"That's a really good point. I guess it wouldn't go over too well with the public either."

"What do you mean?"

"You're famous. You're the 'Alchemist of the people'. If the military kicked you out because you didn't wear the uniform, I think people would get really angry."

"Now that _is _a good point. I could use that." Ed grinned mischievously.

"Plus I think it helps your image as one of the people, instead of succumbing to the military's standards. You're saying that you won't listen to their orders when you dress like you want."

Ed smiled. "You know, you sound a bit like your sister right now."

"Is that a bad thing?" Timothy sounded slightly unsure.

"No, it's just funny to hear you use words like 'succumb'. I guess it just amplifies the fact that though you two can be very different, you're still very much the same."

"Well, me and Amelia are kind of the same when it comes to these sorts of things. We like to read and we like words. Although she's much more fond of writing than I am. She has been reading to me at least once a week ever since I can remember. It's a bit like with you and Al and your alchemy. You guys have that, and me and Amelia have fiction."

"So that's what she's been doing when she spends about an hour tucking you in. I've been thinking that you had some trouble sleeping. I know Amelia has."

"Nah, she just has trouble sometimes with turning off her mind when she tries to sleep. She usually reads when that happens. Or watches Netflix, but that's a bit harder to do here..." He chuckled a bit.

"I can see how that works. Netflix was the thing where you had the bunch of movies and 'shows' gathered in one place for a certain amount of money each month?"

"Yup, that's the one."

* * *

Amelia was keeping Al company as he swept the street. Suddenly, a piece of crumpled up paper was thrown in front of his feet. Al looked up at the nearby roofs, but there was no sign of anybody. He picked up the piece of paper and read what it said.

"What is it, Al?" Amelia said.

"'We know your secrets. Meet us at the abandoned factory on the West side,'" he read off the piece of paper.

"Are you thinking of going?"

"I don't know. Maybe I should? What if they know something important? We have no new leads at the moment, and it's not exactly like I can get hurt with this body."

"But what if it's connected to that tail-bloke from two weeks ago?"

"In that case, it could help us find out something. We haven't heard of anything like that before. Maybe they know something that could help us return to our bodies."

"I don't like this, Al."

"Then how about you tell Teacher if I'm not back in two hours?"

"I'm not going to change your mind, am I?"

"Not if this could help us get our bodies back. They obviously know something new about bio-alchemy."

"Fine. Two hours, but nothing more."

"Great!" Al began running down the street.

"Be careful!" Amelia shouted after him.

"I will!"

Amelia bent down sideways in order to pick up the broom he had left behind in the street. She managed to lean it against the wall, and then she went inside to get herself her book. She didn't want Izumi to ask her where Alphonse had gone off to, so she sat herself outside the shop again. It was still rather warm outside and she enjoyed the bug-less air. After thirty minutes or so, she thought she heard a strange crunching sound. She looked around her, but there was nothing there. Now highly alert, she kept twisting around like she was a nervous little sparrow.

She decided that it would probably be a good idea to go back inside to the relative safety of having several butcher's knives available. She stared through the street for a last time, before quickly turning the wheelchair around and going for the door at record speed.

She found the entrance blocked.

The man in front of her had hair that looked like his styling was based on facing a highly effective fan, and then putting hairspray in it to keep the shape. Either that, or he was trying to be aerodynamic.

"Your armour friend isn't being very cooperative, so we thought it would be a good idea to fetch you so that he'd behave," the man told her.

"Crap! I told him I had a bad feeling about this."

"Well, we think it was rather nice of him to come over. Unfortunately, he didn't like what we had to say, and we really don't want to follow him. Not when we can just get you. Then he'll come whether he wants to or not." He said this as though this was a completely normal train of thought.

"Well, I'm not going with you."

"That's not really your decision."

Amelia started trying to back away slowly, but the stranger just followed her.

"IZUMI! SIG! HELP!" she screamed when she realised that she was basically powerless here. Then she remembered that they were still at the market.

The man suddenly ran forwards, turned at an incredible speed, and hit the back of her head. Everything turned black instantly.

* * *

"Hey, Armour boy! You'd better get out here quickly, we have something you might want!" Al heard the one that had told him to think for himself shout. He wondered what he could be talking about. "I'm sorry she's unconscious, but we found it easier that way!"

_Amelia! Did they really go and kidnap her?_

He didn't want to give away his hiding place, but if they had her, then he didn't really have a choice. They could be lying, but if not, she could get seriously hurt. He figured he would just have to go and make sure. If they were lying, he could just start running away again. _He_ couldn't get tired from running after all.

He stood up and ran in the direction of where he'd heard the shouting coming from. He was standing in a hallway, looking at the four people. Amelia was under the big guy's left arm. She was absolutely still.

"Now how about you come talk to our boss, and then we'll let you and your little friend go afterwards?"

"What did you do to her?!"

"I just gave her a little bump on the head, don't worry. Now, just come over here, and you can have her back."

Al walked over to them, and the guy who'd been talking to him, suddenly sped around him, sticking a sword under his helmet and tilting it off. The lady then suddenly jumped on his shoulders. "Sorry to drop in." She then slid inside the armour, twisting and turning around, bringing her arms into Al's, controlling him from inside.

"Try all you want, you can't control me completely. I'm still stronger than you!" Al said.

"Heh heh. This isn't a contest of strength. If I can only slow down your movements even a tiny bit..." she began.

"Then you're going down." The largest of them finished, pinning Al to the ground, twisting his right arm behind his back. Amelia was lying next to him. The big guy had obviously dropped her to the ground before he attacked him. "Alphonse Elric, right? You're coming with us to meet our master."

* * *

Al was sitting in a nearly empty storage area. His hands were bound and his right leg was chained. Amelia was lying on her side next to him. Her hands, too, were bound, but with shackles though. At the end of them were a one-and-a-half foot long chain that was stuck to the wall behind her. She looked unnervingly peaceful where she lay. It seemed like a much too uncomfortable position, her hands weren't even allowed to touch the ground though her back was still pressed against the concrete wall behind her. Al was constantly making sure that she was still breathing. She suddenly stirred, hands clenching and shoulders moving slightly. She was obviously in some discomfort due to the way her hands were hanging about ten inches above the ground.

"Hrrrmph," she grunted.

"Amelia! Are you alright?!"

"Headache."

"Oh."

"Al, can you help me sit up? My shoulders are killing me."

Al managed to do so, and Amelia let out a relieved breath and rolled her shoulders. She sat with her elbows bent and her hands were resting in a weird way in front of her, but at least they weren't hanging above her head with her shoulders turned awkwardly.

"What happened to you?" Al asked worriedly.

"That guy over there attacked me and hit me in the head." She gestured with her head towards the man that Al had learnt was named Dorchet. "What about you?"

"They attacked me and I ran and hid. But then they took you with them and they said they'd hurt you if I didn't come with them and then they jumped me and dragged me down here."

"Well, that's just lovely. Do you know what they want us for?"

"No."

"Anything that I should know?"

"Apparently these people are chimeras."

"WHAT?!"

"It's true, you know." The woman named Martel had spoken up from inside his armour.

"What the _bleep_?!" Amelia was looking around her, trying to locate the source of the voice.

Martel suddenly stood up inside his armour, lifting his head off and leaning on his shoulder so that Amelia could get a good look.

"Why are you **inside **him?"

"They can limit my movement that way," Al said.

"That's right, and I got guard duty right now," Martel told her.

The door suddenly opened and a man in sunglasses strode into the room. "That them?" he said.

"Yeah," the man known as Loa told him.

The stranger suddenly strode forwards, picking Al's head off his shoulders. "Whoa! Cool! He really is empty on the inside." He then replaced his head. "Nice to meet you, kid. The name's Greed. Let's be friends."

Amelia scoffed, bringing the attention to her instead.

"Something wrong?"

"You kidnapped us."

"Apparently you two wouldn't come willingly."

"That still doesn't excuse kidnapping two kids."

He crouched down before her. "Well, the thing is, missy: you two have some information that I want, and I know things that you want, so I was gonna suggest a trade."

"Then you _visit _us, not kidnap us!"

"But this is so much easier, and here we can talk as long as I want."

"Then screw you, mister!"

He studied her closer. "You're not afraid of me, are you?"

"Actually, I'm terrified. I'm just angry that your goons decided it was a good idea to cosh me on the head."

"Yeah, well, maybe that wasn't really necessary... Not when you can't even run away, I'll give you that."

"Then could you please remove my shackles, now that we have reached the conclusion that I am in fact, _not_ a threat?"

He smiled slightly. "You know what, I'll do that. Dorchet, give me the keys." He held out his hand, and Dorchet put a set of keys in his hands. Greed then unlocked the shackles, and Amelia let her hands fall to her sides. "Happy?"

"No, but slightly less pissed off."

"I guess that's a start."

Al suddenly noticed Greed's left hand. "The Ouroboros tattoo!"

Greed turned towards him, studying his own hand. "Huh? You know about these?"

"I met someone weird in Central who had that mark."

"Huh? So you met one of the others? Which one? Was it that hag lust? Or that lazy-ass sloth?"

"What's the deal with the seven deadly sins?" Amelia asked.

"Oh, so you recognise that! Have you met some of them too?"

"Envy left me for dead and broke my ribs, I'd say that I met that bastard." Amelia brushed her hair behind her shoulder so that the four-inch scar was visible on her neck. She also held up the left wrist that had five distinct white marks. "And I got the souvenirs from it."

Greed viewed the marks as if he was almost impressed.

"So if you're with them, you're some kind of bad guys, aren't you?" Al said.

"I'm not with those guys anymore, I kinda went solo a few years back. And no, I wouldn't say that my current gang is **bad**. But we're not exactly **good **either." He studied Al closer. "So... Al... isn't it?" He sat face to face with him. "What does it feel like to be nothing but a soul... with a body that can never die?"

"How do you know that about me?"

"People like to talk in the underworld. There were those who saw you in Central with that freezing incident. And you, missy, really shouldn't talk so loud in hotels... So is it true? You really are from another world? From the future?" He had his attention focused on Amelia now.

"Why is that of any interest to you?" she asked.

"Oh, just curiosity. And there are many who would give a lot for a way to see the future. And I want distribution rights."

"Why?"

"I'm Greed. I want it all. I want everything you can imagine. Money! Sex! Power! Fame! I want everything in the world! And if there is another world for me to conquer, then I want it too!" He turned to Al again. "But most of all... _**I crave eternal life**_!" He poked Al in the chest. "And the secret lies inside of you. And now..." Greed trailed off looking curiously at Amelia. She was laughing. And then she started singing.

"_I'm a man with a one track mind._

_So much to do in one lifetime. _

_-Do you hear me? _

_Not a man for compromise and where's and why's and living lies._

_So I'm living it all (yes, I'm living it all) And I'm giving it all (And I'm giving it all)... _And so it goes, ha ha!"

"What the hell are you singing?"

"You reminded me of one of my favourite songs, it's called _I Want It All_. You just reminded me of it so much."

"I guess it kind of fits me."

"Yes. Yes it does."

"But as amusing as you may find it, I'm going to have to move on. Or I'm going to have you gagged, missy."

"Don't call me missy. I have a name you know!"

"Ah, yes, what is it?"

"So you didn't even take the time to learn the name of one of the two people you kidnap?! Those are poor manners, mister!"

"Tell me, are you trying to be annoying, or is it just natural for you to be so?"

"It's a gift from my shitty mother."

"You know, I'm getting kinda tired of you."

"The feeling's mutual."

"Amelia, just be careful," Al said, getting slightly worried about where the conversation was going. If she didn't think through what she said soon, she was going to get hurt.

"Al, I won't just to please this jerk. He thinks he can just take what he wants without any consequences!"

"What did you expect? I **am **Greed after all!"

"So are you self-proclaimed Greed? Because that would just make it so much more tragic."

"I am the very _essence_ of greed!"

"How does that work?"

"For me to tell you that, I want you to tell me your secrets first." He turned towards Al "Most of all, I want you to help me achieve immortality, Alphonse Elric. Try to refuse, and I'll cut you apart to find the secrets of your soul."

"You really are a bad guy." Al suddenly brought his hands down to the transmutation circle he had etched into the floor with a small rock. There was some blue lightning, and then a stone fist shot out from the floor, punching Greed hard in the stomach. "You let your guard down!" Al said, drawing another transmutation circle on the floor. "I can easily break these chains with alchemy..."

The stone fist suddenly crumbled, and Greed looked at him, seemingly unscathed. "... You were saying?"

His hand shot out, slamming Al's head down on the floor. "Just chill. Okay?" He looked as though he had forgotten about something. "Oops! Sorry about that, Martel. Forgot you were in there." He straightened up. "**Ha ha ha! **You got spunk, kid. I'll give you that. But parlour tricks like these aren't gonna cut it. If you really wanna kill me then you gotta try harder - **like this**."

Loa suddenly swung his giant hammer at him, knocking everything from his upper jaw and up off his head.

Amelia tensed and pushed herself further up the wall. "WHAT?!"

Greed suddenly put his finger in the air, something that shouldn't even be humanly possible. He stood up, and his face started rebuilding itself layer by layer. He cracked his neck back into place. "**That's **how you kill a guy!" He snorted out a drop of blood. "So, as you can see... you can't come at me half-assed."

"No! You can't be... You can't be **immortal...?!**"

"You're right. Even with a body like this, I'm not immortal. You've heard of a homunculus, right? It's an artificial human being. A person that's not a person. That's what you're looking at right now. I was made to last. I might look young, but I've been around for close to 200 years."

"That's impossible! I thought no one ever made a homunculus... it's just a theory...!"

"**Nothing is impossible**. You were told that successful chimera didn't exist, and yet here they are. You're just a soul glued to metal. And little missy here shouldn't be possible either. You're both proof of this... Now. I've told you **my **secret. Now tell me yours. Tell me what they did with your soul."

"May I point out that we never agreed to give you anything, so basically you just gave us a present? We don't have to tell you anything," Amelia told him smugly.

"Loa, fetch me the duct tape, I'm getting tired of this one."

"Hey!"

"Just be glad I'm not asking them to force information out of you, missy. I generally have a rule against fighting women, and it wouldn't really be fair when you don't have any legs."

"Wow. How considerate..." Amelia said sarcastically.

Loa suddenly reappeared and handed the duct tape to Greed. He ripped off a piece and covered Amelia's mouth with it. He then gripped her shoulders, turning her 90 degrees to her right, pulling her arms behind her back and taping the wrists together for good measure.

Amelia gave some muffled sounds of protest and wriggled her shoulders, but this only unbalanced her, and she tilted to her right, banging her head on the wall. It was clearly an uncomfortable position, and Al put his bound hands on her right shoulder, righting her and turning her around so that she was leaning her back against the wall again. "You didn't need to do that!" Al told Greed, slightly angry.

"Trust me kid, it makes all of it so much easier. Now tell me what I want to know."

"I'd tell him if I were you. You don't want to be taken apart and treated like a lab animal, do you?" Martel told him.

Al was afraid that they were going to hurt Amelia if he didn't talk. "I can't. I don't remember how I got this body. Someone else performed the alchemy. I don't know anything, honest."

"Then all we have to do is ask the guy who performed the transmutation," Greed said.

"Well, that would be my big brother... but he... he's gone."

The group suddenly got very awkward faces, and started whispering. After a few seconds, Greed spoke, rubbing his neck in an awkward manner. "Sorry about your loss, kid... We cool?"

Loa leant down too. "It'll be alright. Okay?"

_For some reason they think that you're dead Big Brother..._

* * *

Ed sneezed.

"Bless you," Timothy said silently beside him. The little kid was standing next to him. They were in the South HQ, standing before an information desk.

"Do you have a cold?" the lady asked him, looking through some files.

"Maybe... Aw, man..."

The woman found the form she had been looking for, and handed it to him. "Okay. Take this to the office of technical evaluation. You missed your deadline so it's going to take a while to process the paperwork."

"Thanks..."

They walked away from the desk. "Ed? I can take your coat so that your hand's free," Timothy offered.

"Oh, thanks."

The little boy folded the red garment over his right arm, carrying his suitcase in his left hand.

"Ugh... this is my first time at South HQ and I already feel lost," Ed said.

"Hey kids, should you be here?" a man in his mid-twenties suddenly told them, stopping them in one of the many hallways in the building. He seemed annoyed.

Ed picked up his pocket watch, showing it to the unpleasant stranger.

"So you found a State Alchemist pocket watch and came to hand it in?"

"No! It's mine!"

"You? A State Alchemist? Stop bluffing, kid!"

"I'm Edward Elric!"

"I highly doubt that, seeing as how he would report to Central. You know it's a crime to steal a State Alchemist's pocket watch!"

Ed dropped the suitcase, handing Timothy the form to hold. He clapped his hands and put them to the floor. Two seconds later, the stranger was hanging upside down. His left ankle was being held by a stone fist, and the floor beneath him had been transmuted to look like an open dragon's mouth.

The man squealed.

"You still doubt me?" Ad said with a dangerous tone of voice.

"No! No! I'm sorry, Sir!"

"What's your name and rank?"

"Sergeant Roger Smith, Sir!"

"Well, _Sergeant_, will you do me a favour?"

"Yes, Sir! Of course, Sir!"

"Where do I find the office of technical evaluation?"

"It's right-left-left-right-left-right-right-third door to the right, Sir!"

"Thank you."

Ed picked up his suitcase and took back the form from Timothy. He then started walking away from the dangling soldier.

Timothy jogged up next to him. "Aren't you going to let him down?"

"Someone'll find him."

"Oh. Okay."

They turned a corner, and met the man they least wanted to see right then and there. Major Armstrong's face was suddenly surrounded by sparkles and roses, and Ed and Timothy screamed as they were lifted into a bone-crushing hug.

They were still dazed as they were brought into an office, but sobered up quickly when they realised who was sitting on the chair in front of them. The Führer of Amestris was laughing. "I'm so glad to see you're well!"

Major Armstrong was standing beside them, back straight as only an Armstrong could keep it, a humbled look upon his face. "I am honoured to have been chosen to escort the Führer President on his inspection of the Southern Headquarters."

"What crummy timing..." Ed said so that only Timothy could hear him. The little boy looked deeply uncomfortable, and Ed could understand him fully. He was being completely ignored while surrounded by the most powerful man in the country, as well as two of the most famous State Alchemists. Add that this was all being conducted in a very militaristic manner, and you had a ten-year-old boy who was completely out of his comfort zone.

Ed put his hand on his shoulder, trying to remove some of Timothy's nervousness.

"You're here for your assessment, are you?" Armstrong asked him.

"Yeah, but... I missed the deadline so it's gonna take them a while to process the documents."

"Oh, that's all?" the Führer said. "Here, let me see the form." He took a quick look at it, and then he gestured to his assistant. "My seal, please." He pressed it against the required space on the form. "You passed. Assessment complete! Here." He showed the form to Ed.

"Edward Elric! How fortunate you are!" Armstrong exclaimed.

Ed just shook. _"Th... that can't be right..."_

"Relax! Based on what I've seen of your performance over the years, you would have passed with flying colours," Bradley told him. "I'm looking forward to seeing you in action again, my dear Fullmetal Alchemist! So did you come to the South Area to stir up trouble?"

"Not at all! We're just visiting my former alchemy teacher in Dublith."

"Hmm... If she taught **you**, then she must be **very **skilled indeed."

Ed and Timothy gave a shiver. "Skilled, yes. (And scary!)"

"Maybe we should try to recruit her for a State Alchemist position?"

Ed and Timothy quickly shook their heads and hands. "I don't think that's such a good idea. You couldn't make her come here if you sent an entire army to fetch her."

* * *

Amelia was furious, she was stiff all over, her mouth was covered with duct tape, her hands were tied behind her back and were half asleep, her butt _had _already fallen asleep because of the cold concrete floor _and _she was freezing. But worst of all, was the fact that she was forced to sit like this, _for hours_. And for the last two of them, the same guy had been trying to hypnotise Al without luck.

"Nope! Not working," Al told the guy for the fifteenth time.

"You sure you're doing it right? I was certain hypnosis would do the trick," Greed said.

"I don't know, boss. This is my first time trying it on a guy like him."

"What a waste of time," another bloke told Greed. "Just take him apart and let me analyse him. I can do a little alchemy myself."

"If you're going to do that, you should at least bring someone with the skills of a State Alchemist. I don't want to dissected by **amateurs**," Al told them. She saw that he was using the same technique that she did, drag out the time as long as possible and wait to be saved.

"Whoa! Kid's got a point," Greed said.

"Hmph! Yeah... 'nerves of steel,' right?" Mr. Dissection, _no, scratch that, technically it would be Vivisection, wouldn't it? _said. "I like guys like you." He grabbed Al's head-spike. "But-!" He crouched down in front of him. "What I **don't **like... is you acting like you're not afraid! I can **rip you apart **with my **bare hands**." He transformed his hand so that it suddenly had some rather deadly-looking claws. "You want that?"

"Calm down. He's our only lead," Greed said.

There was a strange sound from outside the door.

"There's only **one thing **that I'm afraid of," Al told them. "**And speaking of that thing... here it comes.**"

The doors creaked open and a sandaled foot stomped down on the ground. Then came the rest of the woman. Izumi was dragging an unconscious man behind her as she stomped into the room. She threw him at Al and Amelia, but mostly Al. Amelia got a booted foot in her face though. "**YOU STUPID MORONS! HOW THE HELL COULD YOU LET YOURSELVES GET KIDNAPPED!?**"

"I... I... I'm... s... sorry!" Al stuttered.

"Hey! We're the ones asking questions around here!" a guy with an eyepatch said. "Who the hell are **you!?**"

"_**I'M A HOUSEWIFE!**_"

Izumi swiftly proceeded to beat Greed's goons into a pulp.

"Hey, hey, **hey**. That's harsh, lady. You didn't even give us a warning."

"You in charge here? I'm here to repay you for taking such good care of my friends. Now I'm taking them back."

"I can't allow that."

"Okay then."

What Amelia saw next, left her puzzled beyond belief. Izumi had hit him full force in the face, but he didn't even have a scratch. He did, however, transform part of his skin into metal and possibly break Izumi's fingers. Blood started to drip from her hand, anyway.

"TEACHER!" Al exclaimed.

"Give it a rest, will you?" Greed said to her. "I don't fight women."

"You've got a rather **unique **body."

"Ain't that the truth. It takes more than you can deal out to scratch this hide."

"Where's Ed? Did my Brother come with you?!" Al asked.

"No, he hasn't come back yet."

"Huh? I thought you said that your big brother was **dead**?" Greed asked.

"I never said that!" Al turned to Izumi. "**Teacher! He's a homunculus!**"

"Hey... Why'd you hafta go and tell her?" Greed said, sounding like a toddler.

"What are you saying...?" Izumi said, stunned.

"There's more than that, Teacher... He might know a way for us to get our original bodies back! I need to tell my brother right away!"

"What? You **want **your old body back? But the one you have now is so much more **useful**," Greed said. Amelia would have hit him if she had been able to.

"NO IT'S NOT!" Al said.

"So all we have to do is beat him up until he spills his guts," Izumi stated. Her hand was gushing blood by now.

"Well, I guess, but... AAAAAH! TEACHER, YOU'RE HURT! DON'T DO IT! DON'T DO IT!"

"Uh-huh... Plus, I really don't like beating up women," Greed added.

They kept arguing before Greed suddenly slung an arm around Al's head. "How about **this? **I'll show **him **how to create a homunculus... and his brother will teach **me **how to transmute a soul. Got it?"

"So you wanna make a deal, huh?"

"Let's call it an **Equivalent Exchange**. I'd like to keep things civil."

"You think I'm gonna make deals with a **kidnapper**? Don't make me-"

"Teacher! Please! Bring Ed here! Please just get him. This is the chance we've been waiting for."

Izumi stood thinking for a minute. "You're name's Greed, right? As an alchemist, I prefer to create things. I don't like saying things like this. **IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO THAT BOY... I WON'T HESITATE TO DESTROY YOU.**" She turned towards Amelia. "I may leave him with you, but I will be taking this girl with me."

"But I don't really want that... She still has information I'd like, plus she is an effective way to make sure that Al here behaves himself. She's insurance." He drew an exasperated breath when Izumi started growling. "Tell you what, I swear she won't be killed, and she'll be fed and everything."

"And I'm supposed to trust you on that?"

"I have a policy to never tell a lie."

"How can I know that?"

Amelia was getting tired of this. If Greed was able to shield his body that way, Izumi would never be able to beat him. This was going nowhere, and it would seem that Greed only wanted information and nothing more. And if both of the Elrics were here, Izumi could probably contact the military too if she left. Amelia groaned inwardly, before looking straight at Izumi. She gestured with her head towards the door and nodded twice, trying to tell Izumi that it was okay for her to go.

Izumi seemed to get the message, because she grew even more furious. She turned towards Greed. "If you've hurt one hair on that girl's head when this is done, I swear I will find a way to kill you."

Greed shrugged and Izumi left.

Amelia sighed. _I hope Ed gets here soon._

* * *

Greed had held true to his word, and Amelia was actually fed steak for dinner. She even got a blanket and a mattress when night came, although the duct tape was still kept on. She managed to get about three hours of uncomfortable sleep that night, and got eggs and bacon for breakfast. Then her mouth was duct taped once again. She did consider humming, just to annoy the bastard, but she figured that that would probably mean that she'd be stuck with the concrete floor again, and she was quite happy with having the mattress.

She didn't know how long she spent laying on her side under the blanket, but it had to be at least eight hours after breakfast had been served, when the door suddenly swung open. Ed was standing in the door, looking angry. Amelia awkwardly turned herself around 90 degrees in order to face Ed. She was overjoyed that he had come so quickly, she had been afraid that he'd be at least a day more in South City.

"Are you Greed?" he demanded.

"And you must be Edward Elric, right? Sorry to drag you down here. It would've been a lot easier if we only needed this kid in the armour."

"Be careful, Big Brother! This guy is a-"

"Homunculus, right? That's a pretty bold claim. Are you for real?"

"I make it a matter of principle never to lie."

"Ed... He says he'll tell you how to make a homunculus if you tell him how you transmuted my soul."

"An **Equivalent Exchange**?"

"Yup! I hear you guys are interested in **creating bodies**. It's a fair trade, right?

Ed exploded.

"_**DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH! HOW DARE YOU, YOU CROOK?! ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID!? I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU AND THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE OUROBOROS GANG ARE SCHEMING... BUT YOU KIDNAPPED MY BROTHER AND MY FRIEND AND HURT MY TEACHER! AND NOW YOU WANT AN 'EQUIVALENT EXCHANGE'!? YOU ARE WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE VILEST CREATURE ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH! YOU WANNA KNOW ABOUT SOULS!? I'M NOT GONNA TELL YOU ANYTHING! I'LL CRUSH YOU CREEPS! I'LL SMASH YOU! IF I WANT YOUR SECRETS, I'LL FORCE YOU TO TELL ME! IN OTHER WORDS, I'M TAKING IT ALL AND GIVING YOU NOTHING! I'LL NEVER MAKE AN 'EQUIVALENT EXCHANGE' WITH VILLAINS LIKE YOU!**_"

Amelia was shell-shocked. She thought she had seen Ed get angry before, but this? This was way beyond nursery rhyme levels. He was a hundred per cent pissed off. He was livid. And she was actually quite proud of being associated with him.

Greed was clapping. Dorchet unsheathed his sword and ran at Ed. Ed just jumped into the air, dodging the attack before slamming his fist in Dorchet's face, knocking him out cold.

"Loa, take the armour boy and the girl. We're gonna rip him apart for analysis. Just stuff the girl in the armour and take Dorchet and patch him up," Greed said.

Loa removed the helmet and picked Amelia up before placing her in behind Martel. He then lifted them up and carried the four people out of the room.

Amelia heard Ed shout "**NOT SO FAST!**" but he was obviously hindered by Greed. Amelia couldn't see anything outside the armour. There was some light coming in from Al's head, so she could make out Martel beneath her. She was extremely uncomfortable, her hands were still bound and her mouth was still covered, and now she was lying on top of a complete stranger inside a suit of armour being carried God knows where. After a few minutes, Dorchet and Loa talked about there being something wrong, and so Loa put Al down on the ground. When they didn't return, Al began crawling. Amelia realised that Al, like her, was still bound, and it didn't help that Martel was fighting his every movement.

After about a quarter of an hour, they were met by Greed, but he was soon fighting what sounded like Führer Bradley. Al transported them further away, although Martel fought him even harder at first. Al kept crawling until it became too dark for him to see. Everything grew really quiet.

"What's going on!? Where's Greed?" Martel asked.

"I don't know. It's too dark for me to see anything. It sounds like the fighting has stopped."

There were suddenly footsteps approaching.

"Who's there!?" Al asked. Amelia was confused and she was scared, and when all Al had to offer was an understanding gasp, it didn't really help.

Martel suddenly stood up inside the armour, pushing Al's helmet up. "GREED!"

She was pushed back down by Al. Martel protested and fought, but Al was stronger than her.

Amelia was getting a headache from all the screaming. She then heard Loa and Dorchet outside and the sound of chains snapping and the two men telling Al to get Martel out of there. Then Martel began once again to fight Al. Amelia felt so bad for the woman, and judging from what was being said, these men were walking to their death. She really hoped Al would be able to at least get Martel out alive.

She heard the sound of Bradley and Greed fighting, and Al began to try and escape, attempting to stand up.

"Hold it," Bradley's voice suddenly ordered. "You're Edward's younger brother, aren't you? Are you hurt? Do you need help? Hm?"

"N... No, Sir! I'm fine. I can find my way out on my own... So if you'll excuse me..."

Martel suddenly stood up, making Al's arm shoot forward while giving an anguished roar. "**DIE, BRADLEY!**"

"NO, MARTEL!"

The next second Amelia didn't catch what happened, but she was suddenly covered in a warm fluid. Then came an excruciating pain from the middle of her stomach. She suddenly realised what was going on, for Martel had slumped against her the moment she felt something slide out of her stomach. She couldn't help it, she screamed. She was bleeding, she was in horrible pain, and she was being pressed against Al's armour by a dead woman who's blood was spattered all over her. Her scream wasn't that loud due to the tape, but suddenly Al's chest plate was opened and she was staring at Führer President Bradley. He was looking stern. Amelia was sure he was going to kill her too. Her vision was being blurred by tears and blood. She kept screaming in pain and horror. Bradley suddenly pushed Martel to the side before he lifted Amelia out. He was saying something, but she didn't hear what he said. The pain in her abdomen was consuming her.

She only caught glimpses of what was happening around her. She saw Armstrong, half his face covered in blood and looking horrified at her. She saw Ed, his head was bandaged and his cheeks were bleeding. He looked shocked and ran towards her, but she couldn't hear him either, her sobs were too loud, and part of her mind was still reliving those last few seconds inside the armour.

She was suddenly outside, then her hands were freed and the tape covering her mouth removed and then she was being carried inside an ambulance on a stretcher. People were talking to her, but their words didn't matter. There was a lot of blood, her stomach was aching terribly, the pain indescribable. She kept sobbing and her eyes grew heavier, her arms going limp. She shut her eyes and welcomed the promises of painless sleep.

* * *

Timothy was worried sick. He was sitting outside the shop on the front steps with a blanket over his shoulders. Ed had been gone for a long time now. He was hoping for the sound of the slightly uneven steps and the clanging metal that meant that they were both okay, chatting happily with a third person, his sister, who would of course be carried seeing as how her wheelchair was left at the shop. His ears pricked up when he heard them coming, the gravel crunching beneath their feet. But there was something wrong. There wasn't a third voice, and there was no happy chatter. There was just silence. He stood up, throwing off the blanket. He ran forwards to the pair of them, Amelia wasn't there. Ed had a bandage around his head and on his arm, as well as blood that had streamed down both of his cheeks. Al was covered in blood, the loincloth was completely soaked with crimson. Timothy sank to his knees when he saw the look on Ed's face.

Ed quickly sat down before him, putting his hands on his shoulders.

"Is she... Is she..." he couldn't even say it.

"No, she's not. But we don't know if she'll pull through this time..." Ed told him.

"Where is she? I need to see her!" Tears we're streaming down his cheeks. "What happened?!"

"She's at the hospital. There was an accident, she got stabbed..."

Timothy threw himself at Ed's chest, sobbing. Ed put his hands around him.

There was the sound of a door slamming open behind him. "**You're late**," Izumi stated angrily. She seemed to take in the scene in front of her, and her angry steps faltered slightly. "Wh... what happened?"

"Amelia's in the hospital... it's bad..." Al told her.

"Then we need to go now."

Major Armstrong turned up ten minutes later, having procured a military car. They drove to the hospital in silence, Ed had his flesh hand on Timothy's shoulders the whole time. Amelia was still in surgery when they arrived at the hospital. They had to wait for six hours before they were allowed to see her. She was lying unconscious in a bed, extremely pale and an IV was attached to her arm. Timothy was relieved to see that she was at least breathing on her own. She was looking even worse than she had after she lost her legs.

"H-how did this happen?" Timothy thy asked the Elrics as he sat down beside the bed, clutching his sister's right hand.

"She was put inside my armour along with one of the kidnappers, her name was Martel. She tried to kill the Führer by controlling my armour. The Führer killed her by stabbing his sword downwards from the opening between my head and my chest. Martel... she… died... And Amelia was behind her, and the sword went through her stomach... And.. I... I'm sorry. I should have protected her better." Al sounded heartbroken.

"It's not your fault... Are... Are you okay? It sounds horrible."

"It was. It really was."

* * *

Amelia woke three days later. Timothy had never been happier. He was just disappointed that he couldn't hug Amelia, seeing as how the pressure would cause her a considerable amount of pain.

"I'm alive?" was the first thing she said when she woke up.

"Yes you are. And you'd better stay that way," Timothy told her.

She seemed to suddenly remember everything that had happened. She looked up at Alphonse. "Al? How are you?"

"It's not easy to say..."

Timothy remembered what Al had said about having his memories return to him, but it was at such a terrible price. He couldn't imagine how hard this was for him.

"What's all this?" Amelia gestured to the three bouquets of flowers as well as the box of chocolates, the melon, the sheet of paper and the still wrapped present that were surrounding her bed.

"The red roses and the chocolates are from the Major, the yellow ones are from Teacher and Sig, the last bouquet is from the Führer President's office, as well as the melon and the official apology from the Führer himself. The last gift is from the three of us. Timothy said that you had wanted one for a long time, so we hope we did it okay," Alphonse explained.

Timothy handed her the present. She unwrapped it, and gave an exited squeal. Inside were a pair of miniature Freddie Mercury statues. "You made these for me? Thank you!"

"Timothy used the pictures on his phone to show us what he looked like, so we used that to try and make them. Me and Brother made one each."

"They're brilliant! Thank you!"

The statues were placed on her nightstand in a way that definitely made it look like they were on display there. Amelia smiled every time she looked at them. Which were a lot as she was stuck in that hospital room for two weeks.

What remained now, was just the inevitable wrenching that would come when they arrived in Rush Valley, and Winry saw the state of Ed's arm...


End file.
